Terminator: Securing the future
by ActionfreakXD
Summary: The Connors have a new lead to take down Skynet for good. But can they succeed? Because Skynet already have a master plan of its own to wipe out humanity from the face of the planet. They can't do this alone, they need help. But who will help them? (Cover art by HOBOKAT)
1. Deception

" _It's over_ _,_ _" Sarah Connor sighed, looking at the liquid steel below her where the deadly T-1000 had_ _dissolved_ _. It was really over. For days they_ _had run_ _from the deadly machine, fighting desperately to protect her son. They managed to stop the research that would've eventually created Skynet and stopped the deadliest machine that_ _had_ _ever been created. The future is safe. Now her son_ _could_ _live a normal life._

 _But this success wouldn't have been possible if not_ _for_ _the machine standing at her side, looking at the hot, molten steel,_ _confirming_ _the termination of the threat. It's true she hated them, hated the machines._ _Because of_ _one of them Kyle is_ _no longer_ _here,_ _leaving_ _John_ _without_ _his father before he was even born. But she has finally begun to appreciate what this machine has done for them, for her son._ _And_ _she knew her son, John. She knew how attached he_ _'d become_ _to the machine. She looked at her ten year old son who was looking at the damage his friend_ _had_ _sustained. At that moment, the terminator broke into her_ _thoughts_ _by speaking._

" _No. There's one more chip," It said._

 _Sarah and John both looked at the machine with confusion in their eyes. 'What other chip?' She thought. Then the machine answered her silent, unasked question. It tapped its metal skull with its finger._

 _"And it must be destroyed also_ _,_ _"_ _the_ _terminator finished his sentence._

 _She could see the expression of shock and horror that appeared on her son's face when he realized what his friend_ _was_ _going to do next. He beg_ _a_ _n shak_ _ing_ _his head_ _from side to side_ _,_ _silently_ _whispering, "No," repeatedly under his breath._

 _The terminator handed her the controls of the chain._ " _Here. I cannot self-terminate. You must lower me into the molten steel_ _,_ _" It_ _insisted_ _._

 _This time her son protested when the terminator grabbed the chain which_ _would_ _lower it into the steel._ " _No. Don't go away_ _!_ _Please. Stay with us. It will be fine_ _,_ _" John protested, standing_ _in_ _front of the terminator._

" _I have to go away, John_ _,_ _"_ _t_ _he terminator repeated stubbornly._

 _John's eyebrows furrowed in desperation. "I order you not to go. I order you not to go_ _,_ _" John pleaded._

 _Sarah's heart broke seeing her son so heart-broken. But the terminator didn't listen to his pleading. Its mission_ _was_ _over and to keep the future secure it must destroy itself, so that no part of it would get_ _into_ _the wrong hands,_ _leading_ _to the creation of Skynet. But her son wasn't ready to let the terminator go. She c_ _ould_ _see why. The terminator is his only friend, his only companion, one who will never hurt him, never yell at him and will die to protect him. No one could ask for a better friend._

" _It has to end here_ _,_ _"_ _t_ _he terminator repeated mechanically._

 _Now tears_ _fell_ _from John's eyes as he embraced the terminator out of desperation,_ _beginning_ _to sob_ _into_ _its chest. To Sarah's surprise the machine embraced John with its one intact hand and beg_ _an_ _to comfort him. But what she saw next was nothing compared to before: Tears were falling from the eye of the terminator which still looked human, covered with flesh._

" _I know why you_ _cry,_ _John," The terminator said in its human female voice._

 _John looked up at the terminator's face. His expression was still screaming for her to stop. But instead of stopping, the terminator gently rubbed the tears away from his eyes and lightly kissed his forehead. Then she grabbed John by his shoulders and gently pushed him away from the edge of the platform. She grabbed the chain again and climbed on it. All the time her eyes, both mechanical and human, were fixed on John. And John, he was crying again as he stared back at his friend._

" _Goodbye, John,"_ _t_ _he terminator said._

" _Do you even know why I cry?!" John almost screamed in grief._

 _The terminator let out a small smile. "I know you love me, John. That's why you cry."_

 _Sarah's jaw almost dropped at the terminator's answer. How could a terminator realize feelings such as love? Trust is one thing, but love? That's impossible._

" _Then why are you going away?" John yelled again._

 _The terminator didn't reply. Instead she looked at Sarah indicating for her to push the button. Sarah did so immediately, but she really was sad for her son. The chain begin to slowly descend into the molten steel with the terminator on it. The terminator smiled again, when she was just a few inches away from the hot steel. "Because I love you, John. And I always will."_

 _Wha… What? A machine loves her son? No way. The terminator slowly descended into the steel fully to meet the end._

" _Cameron!" John yelled._

And then he woke up in his bed. He could hear rustling coming from outside his door. Must be his mom. He was right; not a moment later, both his mother and Cameron entered his room with guns in their hands. Cameron began searching for threats immediately, but John stopped her. He looked at his mother and said, "It was just a nightmare. I'm fine."

Sarah looked at her son carefully. He was drenched in sweat from head to toe and the mattress on which he was sleeping was also wet from his body sweat. She looked at him again. He looked haunted. Whatever he saw in his nightmare must have shook him to his core. Cameron was staring at John with her head slightly tilted to the side. She looked confused. Then Sarah noticed her son eyeing Cameron for a moment before quickly averting his eyes away again. That's when Sarah realized that the nightmare had nothing to do with her or Derek or anyone else. It was about Cameron.

"I'm okay, mom," John assured her again though he looked exhausted. Sarah nodded and left him. But Cameron was still there, watching him with her big brown eyes. "I am really okay, Cameron. You may go to your room."

"You called my name," She said, refusing to be dismissed.

"Huh?!" John was taken aback.

"You said my name," she repeated.

"I did?" John feigned innocence, but he perfectly did know that he had yelled her name. "Perhaps you made a mistake." _That was lame, John Connor_ _, h_ e groaned to himself.

"I don't make mistakes," Cameron deadpanned.

"Look Cameron, I am really tired. Everyone isn't like you, not needing any sleep. Please leave," he said a little harshly, immediately regretting it when he saw the expression of hurt flicker on her face. But it was just for a moment before being replaced by her usual blank expression.

"As you wish," she replied in her usual stoic manner before leaving him alone to his thoughts.

* * *

John sighed and fell down on his bed. Why did he have to be such a jerk to her? She was only concerned for him. But at this moment John could not control his emotions. They were running too high. He felt tired but was afraid to close his eyes. He didn't want to see Cameron getting melted into the steel again. What surprised him was that she said the same words in his dream that she said when she was crushed between two trucks. John was frustrated with himself. The only girl whom he loved more than anything, could never be his. Never!

Yes, John Connor, the future leader of mankind in a war against the machines was in love with one of them. He never admitted it to himself before. But now he has no doubts. He is indeed in love with her. But can she love him back? Probably not. John sighed. And there was Riley too. Everyone at school thought that they were a couple, but John knows better. Yes, he likes Riley but only as a friend, nothing more than that. He tried to fool himself several times by trying to date Riley properly, but it never worked. The day he and Riley kissed inside the car for the first time, he felt good. It felt good knowing that a girl was showing affection towards him, but then it all came crumbling down in his mind when he closed his eyes while making out with Riley. All he could see was the sad face of Cameron, with tears falling from her eyes. He immediately flinched and broke contact with Riley's lips, pulling away. He just couldn't do it. He felt like he was betraying Cameron by kissing Riley. He could never knowingly hurt her. Never. He loved her too much, but he knew that she might never understand it. And that broke his heart.

He hadn't listened to Cameron's warning that he should stop seeing Riley because it was a danger to both of them. But he knew what Cameron said was true. He was really putting Riley in danger by seeing her. There were several terminators out there looking for the end of John Connor and they would not spare Riley if they learned about his relationship with her. But he didn't care at the time. He'd acted like a jackass with Cameron, even with his mother. Now, he feels miserable for that. What if something happens to Cameron because of his recklessness? What if she dies? He lost Uncle Bob, the reprogrammed terminator who became a father figure to him, and cried for several days after the T-800's death. But could he withstand the loss if something happened to Cameron? The answer is no. If Cameron dies, Skynet wouldn't need to send another terminator after him, he would die with her. John Connor can't live without Cameron, no matter how many times he tried to deny it in the past. John fell asleep with these thoughts in his mind and surprisingly he had no more nightmares that night.

He woke up in the morning, the next day as usual and could smell the pancakes his mother was cooking for him. He refreshed himself and climbed down the stairs to find his mother cooking and Derek sitting at the table reading a newspaper. But there was no sign of Cameron.

Sarah saw her son's eyes looking everywhere around the room, searching for something. She knew what or precisely whom he was looking for. "She is upstairs. Tin Miss didn't leave her room today."

"Yeah, her room." Derek snorted. "As if it really needs a room," he mumbled with his face hidden behind the newspaper.

John glared at his uncle. He wanted to argue but thought the better of it at the last moment.

"John, aren't you going to be late for school?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. I am ready. I will just get my bag," John said.

At that moment Cameron came down the stairs, ready for school. Her eyes darted around the room before fixing on John for a moment. She greeted everyone with a small good morning before heading out of the house without waiting for John.

"What was that about?" Derek asked.

John shrugged, but he knew why Cameron was acting this way. She was upset with his behavior last night.

"What did you say to her, John?" Sarah asked, watching her son carefully. "Because I really don't have the patience to deal with a moody Tin Miss."

"I don't know," John mumbled while trying to dodge his mother's question.

"Well, whatever it is, fix it fast," Sarah ordered, heading back into the kitchen.

John cursed under his breath before getting his bag and heading outside towards his truck. He found Cameron waiting for him inside the vehicle. He got into the driver's seat and drove for their school. He occasionally chanced a glance at her while driving, but she didn't even looked his way for even a second. She completely ignored him. As soon as he stopped the truck in front of school, she got out and marched away, leaving him alone. What was that about? he wondered. Was she really upset with him? But that should be impossible. Then he remembered what she told him once: "I can feel everything." He didn't believe her that time but now he does. He saw her disappearing into the mass of other students inside the school grounds. He sighed and got out of his truck. He walked forward, trying to locate her, so he could apologize but she was nowhere to be found. Suddenly he felt someone grabbing his hand. He flinched and jumped away. But it was only Riley looking surprised by his odd behavior.

"What happened, John?" she asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Just got surprised. That's all," John said. He looked at Riley for a moment and realized what he have to do. He must leave her alone. He didn't want another person to die because of him. It is already too much of a burden for him. Guilt.

"Riley we need to talk," he said.

"Of course we will," Riley agreed, intertwining their fingers. "We can do more than talking," she whispered in his ear.

But her attempt at seducing didn't work on John, not this time. John pulled his hand away from her grasp gently. Riley looked a little hurt but covered it with a smile. John felt bad about what he was going to do after school was over, but Riley deserved better than this. He could never love her back. It might have been possible if he hadn't met Cameron, his sweet, innocent, and at the same time, gorgeous protector who could turn deadly in a fraction of a second. But it was all for him. Her devotion to him. He now knew that it was more than her mission. The bell rang and he walked fast towards his class, leaving Riley alone in her thoughts.

But neither John nor Riley saw a pair of brown eyes watching their every move, every interaction from afar. Tears rolled down from those big brown eyes before she rubbed them away and moved towards her classroom.

* * *

 **AT THE CONNOR RESIDENCE**

Sarah got out of the bathtub. She dried herself off and put on some clothes before heading downstairs. For now, she had no leads to track down Skynet activities so she decided to watch TV for awhile. She found Derek on the sofa, dozing with the newspaper covering his face. Her lips quirked a little. She was about to turn on the TV, but the doorbell rang at that moment. Derek jumped up from his sleep with a gun already in his hand. Sarah took hold of her shotgun before heading towards the door silently. She peeked outside to see who it was. It was Ellison! She quickly opened the door and pulled him inside by his collar. She shoved him towards Derek who placed a gun under Ellison's chin. Sarah looked outside to see if anyone else was out there. When she found no one, she closed the door and came towards Ellison who had his hands raised above his head.

"Why are you here?" Sarah demanded.

"I came here for two things: First, I got news of Kaliba. Second, I need to talk with your son's protector. I have a message for her," Ellison answered.

"What message?" Sarah asked.

"It is only for her ears," Ellison replied.

"Well, she is not here," Sarah said. "What about Kaliba?"

"I have a location. But it is heavily secured. Loads of coltan were seen transported to factories in that area. But the place is operated by no human. My source said that it is being controlled by some AI." Ellison explained.

Both Sarah's and Derek's blood turned cold. "Skynet," they both whispered.

"We have to get there and destroy that place. Give us the location," Derek ordered.

"You cannot hope to destroy the area alone. As I said it is guarded heavily, even for your Cyborg. You will need help. And Miss Weaver is willing to help you." Ellison said.

"Who is Weaver?" Sarah asked.

"She is the owner of Zeira Corp," Ellison replied.

"Why would she help us? And how does she know about all these things?"

"I don't know. I only work as her security head."

"I want to meet Weaver," Sarah said.

"Sarah…. It could be a trap," Derek warned.

"I know Derek. But I cannot ignore the opportunity. What if we can destroy Skynet?"

"I cannot lead you to Miss Weaver now. First, I need to talk with Cameron."

"Why do you insist on seeing her?" Now, Sarah was getting suspicious.

"As I said before, I have a message to deliver. I will come back later," Ellison said before leaving the Connor house.

"What do you think, Sarah? Why would Ellison want to meet the metal? I thought he was afraid of it," Derek said.

"I don't know, Derek. I honestly don't know," Sarah sighed.

* * *

 **BACK AT SCHOOL**

Cameron purposely stayed away from John because that's what he wanted. She sat at a table far enough away from his and Riley's. They were both engrossed in some kind of conversation. Cameron could have eavesdropped on them but she didn't. She knew John would hate her more, so she restrained herself from doing it. She looked at Riley who seemed to be trying to get close to John physically. Riley bent forward and placed a quick kiss on John's cheek. Cameron was gripping the edge of the table while watching them. Her hand clenched without her knowledge. Everyone looked at her hearing the snapping sound. She looked at her hand confused and then at the broken edge of the table.

"Weirdo."

"Freak."

"Get out of here."

Even John was looking at her. She quickly got up and left.

John, on the other hand, was a little uncomfortable with Riley's behavior. He could swear that she was purposefully trying to seduce him. He was trying to keep a respectable distance from her, but he wasn't doing a good job. He spotted Cameron sitting at the other table, alone. He felt bad for her. He wanted nothing but to go to her and apologize to her for his behavior; to talk with her. He wanted to be there for her as she was always there for him whenever he needed her. He was totally taken aback when Riley kissed him on the cheek. Then he heard the snapping sound. It was Cameron. She sat there in her chair with a part of the broken table in her hand. She was staring with confusion towards her hand. Then the other students began to insult her. She immediately got up and left.

John felt a surge of anger rush through his veins. But when he heard Riley laughing at Cameron's expense it was just too much for him to bear. He snatched his bag from the table and left the area, leaving Riley completely surprised. He wanted to yell at Riley, punch the assholes who berated Cameron. But he couldn't. He is John Connor. John snorted. Some leader he was going to be, He couldn't even defend his best friend. He searched for Cameron but she seemed to have disappeared completely. He gave up. He knew it was no use. He would have to talk to her when they got home.

Riley was surprised at John's behavior. She wondered why he left like that. One moment she thought that she was getting to him, but in the next moment, he shattered all her hope. Understanding John Connor was really complicated. The task placed in her hand was proving to be more difficult than she thought it would be. Her mission has been partially successful because she did manage to create a rift between him and his metal whore. Jesse seemed happy with her progress but not satisfied. She wants the machine scrapped, but she also told Riley that it must be John who destroyed Cameron of his own free will. No one else could do it. That simply can't be allowed. She wondered what John saw in that machine. Sure, it was pretty but he knew what was underneath that look. He just doesn't seem to care. No matter how much John tried to stay away from Cameron and be with her, she often noticed him watching Cameron, with a look of sadness and perhaps…. Dare she say love in his eyes? But Riley was not one to give up easily. She was going to make John hers. She was going to be the future Mrs. Connor, and the machine must be destroyed for that to happen because, as long it was around John, he would always give priority to Cameron. He said that he wanted to talk with her after school, so she still had some hope left. Maybe she could make Jessy satisfied by accomplishing her mission.

Riley got up and went to the washroom. To her surprise she found Cameron there, looking at her own image in the mirror and tears were running down her cheeks. Riley's heart clenched. She felt bad for her even though Cameron was a machine, a terminator, a killer robot. At that moment, the phone slipped from Riley's hand and landed on the floor at Cameron's feet. She thought that Cameron would surely crush it with her foot, but to her surprise, Cameron bent down and picked up the phone. Cameron stretched her hand out to give the phone back to Riley at the precise moment it rang. Riley snatched the phone away from her hand. She looked at the incoming call number: It was Jesse. She prayed that Cameron didn't see it, and looked at her. Cameron didn't say anything. She stepped past Riley and left her alone in the washroom.

Riley let out a brief sigh of relief. She answered the call, "Hello?"

"What took you so long?" Jesse's impatience was heard.

"She was right in front of me." Riley replied.

"Cameron?" Jesse asked.

"Yes." Riley replied.

"Shit. Did she see my name on your phone's screen?" Jesse asked.

"No. No. I don't think so. She just left," Riley answered truthfully.

"Okay. What about Connor?"

"He is still too much attached to it. I am trying to…."

"I want results," Jesse interrupted Riley. "Get to him. Seduce him. Sleep with him or do whatever is within your powers to make him yours."

"I am trying, all right?!" This time Riley lost her patience. "It is not easy. The machine has him wrapped around its fingers."

"Did you just yell at me?" Jesse's voice turned cold.

"Ah…. No. Jesse please, I am trying my best. I need some time," Riley pleaded.

"Very well. I will give you a week at most," Jesse replied, then ended the connection.

Riley put the phone in her bag and washed her face. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She felt tired. She had gotten herself into a mess and now would have to suffer through it. Riley fixed her makeup and quickly exited the washroom. She headed towards her class, not seeing the figure hiding a few feet away from the washroom door.

Cameron came out from her hiding place. She had heard everything. So this was all a setup. Riley didn't care for John. John needed to know this but the question is how. John won't believe her if she reveals the truth about Riley. He told her that he didn't trust her anymore. But she must do something.

* * *

 **LATER, AFTER SCHOOL**

Riley arrived at the place where John asked her to meet him. She saw him waiting for her. "John… you wanted to talk?" Riley asked, approaching him.

"Yes. Ah," John stuttered a little. He couldn't form the words. Riley, waiting for him to speak, wasn't making it any easier. He felt bad about what he had to do. He gathered up his courage to tell her the truth. "I need to talk about us. This, whatever we have, it's not working. I…"

"What are you saying John?" Riley asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"I can't see you anymore, Riley. It's better for you," John said.

"But why? What have I done?" Riley asked.

"You did nothing. But, as I told you before, this is not working."

"That's not a good excuse, John."

Frustrated, John snapped, "I am not obliged to answer to you, Riley. I told you that you and I are not working. So it ends here."

"So, that's it? Just like that?" she squeaked.

"Yes. Just like that." John spat and left her, looking for Cameron.

Riley just stared after him, terrified. Jessie was going to kill her.

John found Cameron waiting beside the truck. When she saw him, she silently got into the truck and closed the door. She made no attempt to communicate with him. John sighed. This was going to be difficult. He got into the driver's seat and headed for home. On the way he occasionally glanced towards Cameron from the corner of his eye, but she never even made an attempt to look at him. She kept staring out the window the whole way. As soon as they reached home, she got out and went inside the house, leaving John alone in the truck. John parked the truck properly and followed her into the house. He saw his mother sitting on the sofa, watching TV.

"Did you fix it?" Sarah asked her son.

"Fix what?" John responded, sounding irritated.

"Whatever is wrong between you and Tin Miss."

"No," John said, and started to climb the stairs to go after Cameron, but his mother's next words stopped him.

"Ellison was here, today."

"Ellison? What did he want?" John asked.

"He wants to talk with Tin Miss," Sarah asked.

"What about?" John asked, his curiosity rising.

"He didn't tell me. He said that it was only for her ears," Sarah answered, shrugging. "He also gave us a lead to an area hot with Skynet activity."

"Skynet? Where?"

"He didn't reveal much. He said he wanted to talk with Cameron first."

"How did he get this intel?" John asked with a frown on his face.

"He didn't. His employer did. Miss Weaver, owner of Zeiracorp."

"And she knows all about Skynet and other stuff?"

"Apparently, and that concerns me. She could be the enemy."

"That's possible, but we have to take the chance. We need to find a way to stop Skynet before it becomes powerful and destroy all life on earth."

"I told the same thing to Derek."

"Where is he?"

"He is spying on Ellison. Apparently, Derek doesn't trust Ellison."

"Neither do I," John said and resumed his climb up the stairs. He stopped in front of Cameron's door which was closed. He knocked on her door gently. "Cam, you there? Can I come in?" John asked.

"Yes." Came the soft reply.

John opened the door and stepped inside. He found her sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing. "Cam, can we talk?"

"I am listening," she said without looking at him.

"Why are you acting this way, Cameron?" John asked, a little frustrated. She wasn't making this any easier.

"What way?" she asked, looking at him.

"You are avoiding me. Why?" John asked.

"Because you told me to," Cameron replied.

"I… what?" Then John remembered his words from last night. He felt shame and guilt like never before. "It wasn't that, Cam. I just…" John was lost for words. How could he apologize to her? After all she has done for him, he'd acted like a jackass towards her. He really didn't deserve her devotion or friendship or _love_. _Just say it, John. You can do it._ John found her looking at him expectantly. He sat beside her and took her small hands in his. "I am sorry, Cam, for the way I treated you since my birthday. I know it wasn't your fault. I was being a jerk. You are my friend. My best friend." John paused.

"I am?" Cameron asked softly, looking into John's eyes. Her brown ones met his green ones.

"Of course you are." _You are much more to me._ He added silently. "I will explain to you." Then John proceeded to tell her about Uncle Bob, the T-1000 and how Uncle Bob sacrificed himself to stop Skynet from ever being created.

Cameron listened to him patiently, without interrupting him a single time. Then he told her about the nightmare, leaving the part out where Cameron professed her love for him. She placed a comforting arm on his thigh.

John smiled. Who said she had no feelings? "Seeing you die stressed me out and I kind of lashed out at you. I am sorry for that," John offered, receiving a comforting smile from Cameron in return. "I also apologize to you for not listening to you about seeing Riley. You were right. I am really putting her in danger. So, I did what I had to. I ended it today."

Cameron was relieved. She had the old John back, the one who was her best friend, who always listened to her and always had time to answer her questions. But Cameron was still concerned. He still had no knowledge about Riley and Jesse's plan. "You did the right thing, John."

"I know. So am I forgiven?" John asked.

"No." Cameron replied.

Cameron's answer hurt John. She still wouldn't forgive him? Not that he didn't deserve it but still… "No?" John repeated.

"Yes. Because there is nothing to forgive. I can never be angry at you, John. Because….." She hesitated.

"Because?" John was excited inside. _Say it Cam. Say that you love me. Please say it._

"I don't know," she replied honestly.

John let out a disappointed sigh. She still may not understand it, but he would be there to help her as she would be there for him. John smiled at her and was about to leave, but Cameron stopped him.

"John, there's something I have to tell you," Cameron said.

"Yeah?" John asked, turning back to face Cameron.

"It's about Riley," Cameron began, raising John's eyebrows. "She is from the future, John."

"What? Are you sure?" John asked. Cameron was relieved that John didn't reject her as a liar.

"Positive." Cameron replied.

This was almost too much for John to take, but he pressed Cameron for more details. "Why is she here? I don't think she is a terminator."

"No. She is human, but she is not alone. She is accompanied by Jesse Flores from the future," Cameron answered.

"Who is Jesse?"

"Commander Jesse Flores, nationality Australian, second officer on submarine Jimmy Carter in 2027. Brought before a court martial for rebellion and loss of the ship, including its T-888 pilot and commanding officer. She was still imprisoned when I came back," Cameron explained.

"Why is she here? What do they want from me? Who sent her?" John asked. He still couldn't believe that Riley was from the future.

"I can only conclude that Commander Jesse Flores escaped after I travelled back. I believe she has come back without anyone's knowledge. I don't think she wants anything from you. She sent Riley to seduce you, to create a rift between us. She wants me gone," Cameron explained.

"No!" John panicked. He stepped forward and embraced Cameron in a tight hug as if he was afraid that he would lose her. "I cannot lose you. Not you. Not now. Not ever." He mumbled burying his face into her soft hair.

Cameron was surprised at his behavior but she chose not to say anything at that moment. After a moment John composed himself and pulled back. His cheeks flushed red when he realized how close he was to Cameron.

"I am sorry," John stuttered. He blushed again. He saw Cameron was smiling at him. "So how can we get Jesse?" He turned serious again.

"I have a plan." Cameron said, her eyes sparkling.

* * *

 _ **Notes: So, well this is my first attempt to write a TSCC fanfic. I read perhaps all the Jameron fics out there in the site but more than half of them are unfinished. It is kind of frustrating. Anyways, so I had a couple of ideas in my head about a TSCC fanfic but wasn't sure whether to write it or not. But eventually I did it. Let me know by reviews how I am doing and whether you like me to continue this fic or not.**_

 _ **P.S: I would be grateful if anyone wants to be a co-writer for this fic and ideas are welcome. I am always ready to hear them. I really do need help to keep this fic going.**_


	2. She is not like them

"No! Cam! We cannot do that!" John disagreed with Cameron's proposal.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"Because if we confront Riley directly she will lie. She will never accept that she is here from the future." John explained.

"I can make her talk." Cameron offered.

"No. You can't do that." John disagreed. Cameron looked at him quizzically. "Um… What I mean is that you can't attack her like that."

"Why? She is a threat." Cameron said.

"She is not a threat. Not in that way. But Jesse Flores is. We need to find her and if we kill Riley we may never find Jesse. She will run." John explained.

"Oh…" Cameron said. _Wait for it._ John thought. "Thank you for explaining." She added predictably. John smiled at her cuteness.

"So it's nice to have help sometimes, right?" John sighed laying back down on his bed. Cameron also lay down beside him. John shifted slightly. Not that he felt uncomfortable with Cameron lying so close besides him, but he was determined to keep some distance, physically because his teenage hormones may not let him desires to keep in control. The corner of Cameron's lips quirked slightly.

"Yes." She said, softly. "So, what are you going to do, John?"

"About what?" John asked looking at her. He saw her eyes studying him carefully.

"Riley." She almost said the name with disgust in her voice. _Wait, did I just sense her jealousy?_ John thought.

"Well, I am thinking that I should mend the friendship with her. Try to gain her trust."

"That's not wise of you, John. Riley is still a threat." This time Cameron protested.

"She is a threat to you. Riley and Jesse won't harm me." John argued back.

"You don't know that. I can't take that risk." Cameron protested again.

John sat up. Cameron did the same thing too and looked into his eyes. John stared back at her. _There's her over-protectiveness again._ "But they are after you, Cameron. I can't let them kill you."

"I am not important but you are. You can't risk your life for anyone, least of all me." Cameron said.

"Yes, you are important! You are important to me!" John said. He looked at her beautiful, adorable face and placed his hand on her cheek lovingly. Cameron didn't say anything. "I can't do this alone. If I am going to be the leader that everyone thinks I am, then I need you. I need you right beside me because I can't do this without you, Cam."

Cameron gave him a sweet smile. John continued again, "So, I need your help to get myself trained. You will train me, Cam."

"I will. But John, I need to ask you something." Cameron seems…. _hesitating?_

"I am all ears." John replied casually.

"I don't see how your body can only consist of only ears. A human body needs every organs to survive." She said with her head tilted to her slight, with a confused expression on her face.

John laughed. "It's just a phrase, Cam. It means I am listening."

"Oh! Thank you for explaining." She said as usual. John smiled and shook his head.

"What do you need?" John asked.

"Why do you trust me, John?" Cameron asked out of nowhere.

"Wha…. What?" John was totally taken by surprise.

"I asked why you trust me now, John. You said to Riley once, that you don't trust me anymore." She asked. John bowed his head in shame. He was a jerk back then. He loved Cameron from start, from the first time his eyes fell on her in school. Even when he came to know about her true nature, his feelings didn't change. Charlie saw through it. He asked John whether he liked Cameron or not, but John denied it back then, which was a lie. When Cameron went bad, which wasn't her fault obviously, he disabled her with the help of his mother, by pulling out her chip. He knew he did the right thing back then by pulling out her chip. But he will never forget her those few words she said to him, " _I love you. I love you, John and you love me._ "

He never showed his feelings, even tried to deny them to others, but in his heart he knew what she said was true. He did love her. That's why he brought her back by going against his own family, most of all his own mother. Even back then, he couldn't imagine about spending a single day of his life where she didn't exist. But he knew that he cannot have her in his life. No one will accept to it. So he did what he had to. He pushed her away and tried to bury his feelings by trying to date Riley. He wanted to be happy with Riley, he tried hard to be, even pretended but it didn't work because he couldn't imagine of loving a girl who wasn't her. He just couldn't. He tortured himself and in the process hurt her feelings. Yes, _feelings,_ which he knew she has. She can feel, she told him once. Back then he didn't believe her. He thought she was just trying to distract him but apparently she was telling the truth. Whenever he lashed out at her, he could see the expression of hurt appearing on her face occasionally and the look of sadness when he purposely ignored her. At that moment, he knew she has feelings. _Real, human feelings._ She could get sad, angry, disappointed, protective and even jealous.

And speaking about trust, when he handed her the gun after he inserted her chip by going against his own family, he put his trust in her and she didn't disappoint him. Well, if she disappointed him that day, he would be dead today. No more John Connor to lead humans to victory after Judgment Day. He thought that she would be grateful that he didn't burn her, but she did the complete opposite. She accused him by saying that he couldn't be trusted. It hurt him more than it angered him. He placed his life in her hands a few moments ago by placing his trust on her and instead of appreciating it, she blamed him. It hurt him, more than he let on. After that he begin to push her away. Then he met Riley. Cameron always warned him that Riley is a threat. He never believed in her words. But she was right all along. It was Riley's mission to seduce him.

Riley had no real feelings for him, she never had. The only one who cared for him, was the one who shouldn't have any kind of feelings. His mother once told him that this world is insane, but in this insane world Cameron may be the only sane thing he has left apart from his mother. John recalled the past events based on which he realized his true feelings for his cyborg protector:

 _It was the prom and apparently his mother forced him to go to the prom. He knew his mother meant well. She wanted him to have fun and relax, even it is for a short amount of time. So he asked Riley to the prom to which she agreed. And Cameron is going too, with Morris. John liked Morris, a lot. He is a good friend. But today, John felt anger flowing through his veins at the mention of Morris. He wanted to punch his face or hurt him bad whenever he thought about him and Cameron getting close physically while dancing. His hands at Cameron's waist or somewhere else. His blood began to boil by just imagining it. They reached the school without any major incident but he didn't like Morris babbling about how beautiful Cameron looked since he saw her in the prom dress. John also didn't like the way, Morris kept staring at Cameron. Eventually, the prom began and John started to dance with Riley, but occasionally kept glancing towards Morris and Cameron._

' _If he even touches her in a wrong way just for a second, I will kill him.'_ _John thought as he observed them dancing together. Cameron seemed uncomfortable but she didn't do anything to hurt Morris which was a relief to John. Riley seemed to notice that his attention was not her._

" _What are you looking at?" Riley asked._

" _Um...nothing." John smiled nervously. Well, what can he say? If he said, 'Riley, I am looking at Cameron and Morris. I wish I was there in Morris' place with Cameron in my arms, dancing together and enjoying the evening.' it would've been a disaster. A brother eyeing his sister and getting jealous that his sister is dancing with his classmate. Their cover would've been blown in an instant._

 _Wait! What? He is jealous because Cameron is dancing with Morris? But why? She is just maintaining their cover and it's not that she is going to kiss him or date him. But even she did what is it to John? Why is he hating that fact so much?_

' _Don't be such a coward, Connor. Admit that you like her.' His inner-self told him. John bowed his head and his head collided with Riley._

" _Ouch! What the hell, John?" Riley said angrily holding her forehead._

 _The other students who were dancing around them stopped and had their attention fixed on both John and Riley. "I am sorry, Riley. I just got lost into my thoughts." John said but regretted it immediately when he saw her glaring at him._

" _You are dancing with me and thinking about something else?" or 'Someone else?' Riley shared a glance towards Cameron, who was looking at them with Morris at her side._

" _It's just that I have a lot of things in my mind recently." John tried to explain as best as he could without revealing the whole truth. "I am off to washroom. I need to cool down." Riley dashed past him towards the washroom._

" _Go fuck off, Baum!" Some students chorused._

" _Weirdos. He and his sister." Someone else said._

" _Did you even see how Cameron Baum dress? She is totally a freak, just like her brother."_

" _But she is hot man. I will do it to her, if she offers." That sentence broke all the dams, John was holding inside him. He spun around and punched the boy named, Leo. John is not a very strong teenager, but he had hit hard enough to break the nose of Leo. Leo cried out and dropped to his knees holding his now broken and bleeding nose. John's blood was boiling inside his body._

" _Don't you dare touch her!" He snarled. "Ever!" He spat at Leo's face._

" _What the hell man?!"_

" _Why did you hit him?" Students begin to complain._

 _But John was in no state of listening. He couldn't stand there and listen the vile things those boys are saying about Cameron, his Cam. Yes his. She is his. She is his to protect as he is hers. As long as he lives he will protect her, like she protects him. No one will insult her ever, at least in front of him. He felt a feminine hand grasp his wrist. He was about to jerk his hand away, but most of his anger washed away seeing the person who was holding his wrist. It was her. His Cameron._

" _We need to go." She declared. Then she pulled him away from the students and begin to head outside. John begin to follow her without protest or word. He noticed that she is now holding his hand instead of his wrist. A warm feeling of satisfaction and happiness surged through his body. But their luck wasn't so good as Morris followed them to their car, which Sarah rented for the evening._

" _Hey, Cameron. John. Wait!" He called from behind._

 _Cameron halted and turned around to face Morris. She was considering whether to terminate Morris or not. It is logical to terminate him because it will help her to save the time. They need to get out of here. But she didn't because John has taught her about preservation of human life. He has explained to her before, that she couldn't just go and kill anyone she wants to because she is not a killer. He taught her how to value life and she learned well. Apart from that, Morris is John's friend and if she terminates him John will be upset with her which she doesn't want._

 _After the car explosion, she has changed. Something has awakened within her system, which she still have no clue about. She felt more than protective towards John. It was her mission to protect John Connor. Yes,_ _ **was.**_ _Not anymore, but she is still here, protecting him. But why? She is fighting every moment since that dreading day against the 'Terminate' command in her HUD. She is purposely ignoring it but how longer she can do it she has no idea. She shouldn't be able to ignore the command of her programming, but she is still doing it, every day, every moment. Something inside her system is letting her do it. She has also begin to desire some things like she always want to do things to satisfy John. She wants to be near him all the time, not just for his protection but also for something else which she cannot point out. Maybe John can explain it to her later but suddenly she remembered that John doesn't talk to her anymore unless absolutely necessary. That immediately send negative feedbacks to her. She needs to make a more detailed system checks after they return home safely. For now, she needed to take care of Morris, in a pleasant way._

" _Morris. John is not feeling well. We need to get home now." Cameron said._

" _Um. Ok, then." Morris said with a hint of disappointment in his voice._

" _I am sorry, Morris." Cameron apologized before she entered the car and drove away with John at her side._

And speaking about trust, he remembered what Cameron did for him:

 _John was laying on his bed as usual and listening to music. He heard gentle tapping on his door and a few seconds later the door opened partially to reveal Cameron standing outside. "Are you busy?" She asked._

" _No."_

 _She came inside and sat down at the edge of his bed. "What do you want?" John said it a little harshly but inside he was feeling bad. He was still trying to understand what he did at the prom. Riley was furious at him but she eventually forgive him._

" _I have something for you." Cameron declared._

' _She has something for me?' John was surprised. He sat up on his bed and looked at her. She produced a locket out of her pocket and held it in front of him._

" _A locket?" John was surprised._

 _Cameron pressed the locket slightly and it opened to reveal a switch. "It's a detonator."_

" _For what?"_

" _I have placed a small amount of explosive inside my skull, right near my CPU. It's not much but it's enough to destroy my chip. I cannot self-terminate." She explained._

" _Why did you do that? Are you insane?" John was panicking. What if somehow the switch gets pressed? She will die. Right in front of him. He can't let this happen. No. No._

" _I may go bad again someday. And when I do, you press it. It's for your safety." Cameron explained._

" _No! I won't kill you." John was still panicking. How can he kill her? There's no way he can do it even if she tries to kill him again. If that button gets pressed he will die with her. He has thought about her value in his life. He cares too much about her. He could never hurt her, least of all killing her. John looked at her, really looked at her. Here is the girl whom he loved with all his heart but she may never understand it and on the other hand there is Riley whom he likes a lot….. and she returns his feelings. But looking at Cameron all thoughts regarding Riley disappeared from his mind. Cameron is basically trusting him with her life. She is putting her life in his hand. If that's not trust then he has no idea what trust is._

" _You might have to do it someday." Cameron pressed again._

" _I told you 'no'. I can't do it." John protested strongly._

 _Cameron reached behind his neck and tied the locket around his neck. "You said that I cannot be trusted anymore, and you were right. If I try to kill you again, just press it." She said._

" _No. Take it out. Remove the explosive from your head. Now." John almost ordered her which he never did._

" _I can't do that, John. This is for your safety." Cameron was stubborn too, just like him._

" _I order you to do it." John said while removing the necklace from around his neck._

 _Cameron stiffened. Stiffened? Yeah, John was sure that she reacted in that way. "I am sorry, John. But I cannot do it." She defied his orders and left him alone in his room._

' _What was that?' John thought. She just disobeyed him. She told him once, that she is programmed to follow his orders, then how did she disobey him? John followed her out of his room. He saw no sign of her so he decided to look inside her room. He opened the door without making a sound. There she was, sitting on the edge of the bed staring out at the window. But when John looked at her face, he was totally taken aback because there were pools of tears running down Cameron's eyes._

 _It was a lot for John to take. How can Cameron cry? Why is she crying?_

 _He felt bad for her and guilty too. He should've been there to comfort her. To explain things to her but he has been a jerk to her since the car explosion. But one thing John was sure about: She is really different._

 _John remembered their conversation at the gas station:_

" _What model are you? You seem….." John hesitated. "Different."_

 _Instead of answering she took a chip from him and put it in her mouth. "I am." She said with a small smile and got inside the truck._

John got out of his thoughts when he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Cameron. _She is trying to comfort me._ "I shouldn't have asked you the question. I am sorry, if I have hurt your feelings." Cameron apologized.

"No. You didn't hurt me, Cam. I was the one who had hurt you, repeatedly, by pushing you away." John got a comforting smile in return. "I actually never stopped trusting you, Cam."

"But you said…" Cameron was stopped by John. He placed one of his fingers on her lips to prevent her from talking. "I was angry, actually more disappointed and hurt than angry. I saved you and you blamed me. I thought you would be glad that I saved you. So, I lied." John mumbled but Cameron understood his words perfectly because of her enhanced hearing. "I tried to get along with Riley. You warned me back then but I refused to listen. Heh! It turned you all was fake."

"I am sorry about Riley, John. I knew you were happy with her." Cameron said with her head bowed but her left hand twitched. She tried to hide it, but John saw it.

"You are wrong. I pretended to be happy with her but I wasn't."

"Why?"

"Because she isn't you. You are my only friend, Cam." My true friend _and more_. He added the last part in his mind. "I tried to distance myself from you, because I was kind of angry with you but I never stopped trusting you. Never. I know you can never kill me."

"I might someday." Cameron disagreed.

"I remember what you said. But I trust you. I know you won't do it, ever." John said.

"There's no logic, John."

"Yes. I can't explain it. You can say it's a human thing."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining." She added. John chuckled.

"So, can you promise me one thing Cameron?"

"Yes."

"Do you promise not to lie to me anymore? If you can't tell me anything just let me know. I will understand."

"I promise." She smiled slightly.

"Then tell me the truth Cam. What changed in you? Since I saved you from the car explosion, you are acting….. Different, you seem more human. You dance in your room, you get angry, upset, and you crush things with your hands out of jealousy. What's happening to you, Cam?" John asked, his eyes were pleading to tell her the truth.

Cameron remained silent for a moment. She pondered whether it is wise to tell the truth to John or not but she promised that she won't lie to him anymore. "You are right. I am not the same anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Since the explosion, my mission to protect you has vanished. The only mission I have is to terminate you." Cameron paused.

"Then why don't you?" John felt a sense of dread at the pit of his stomach. "Kill me I mean."

"Because I don't want to." Cameron replied at once. "There's something inside my system that is helping me to fight against the terminate command.

"Go on." John said with excitement in his voice.

"Sometimes I only do things to impress you. I want to be near you, always, not because of protection but... something else. I felt something whenever I saw you with Riley or any other girl. I felt sad when you didn't respond to me." Cameron tried to explain as best she could.

"I knew it!" John said with a smile of his own. He was overjoyed. "I think you are experiencing what we human call 'feelings'."

"Feelings? How can I have feelings? I am just a machine." She asked.

John flinched at her words. "No. You are not just a machine."

"Then what am I?" She asked, confused at John's answer.

"You are just Cameron." John answered. _My Cameron._

"Oh. Thank you for….."

"Explaining. I know." John chuckled again. But then his face turned serious. "I won't order you, Cameron. But I will request you to take that explosive out of your head. Please." He pleaded.

"But….." Cameron was cut off by John again. "No 'but' Cam. If that button is pressed, I will die with you, anyway. So what's the point?"

"Why will you die with me? The explosive is inside my head. Not yours." Cameron asked.

"I told you once, Cam. I cannot do this without you. I need you in my life. There can be no John Connor without Cameron." He said truthfully. His answer send loads of positive feedback into Cameron's chip and she gave him a dazzling smile which warmed his heart. "So, will you take it out? Please? For me?"

"Everything I do is for you, John. Without you I have no reason to exist." Cameron's answer made John more than happy. He wanted to fling his arms around her but restrained himself. "Yes, I will take it out." She finished. John gave her a big smile.

"Let's do it now." John offered.

"Okay." She agreed. "But we will start your training after I take out the explosive."

"Sure. What do you need me to do?" John asked, still smiling.

"200 pushups." Cameron answered. His smile vanished and got replaced with a look of horror.

"What? 2…. 200?" John stuttered.

"Yes." She strode past him towards the door. She opened the door and looked back at him. John was still standing at the same spot. Then surprising both him and herself she winked at him and went outside. _Wait was she bluffing?_ John's jaw almost touched the floor.

 **SOMEWHERE IN L.A.**

Derek opened his eyes slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the bright sunlight coming through the window from inside the room. He shifted on the bed he was sleeping but a hand on his chest prevented him from getting up. He looked to his left and found _her_ sleeping peacefully with her left hand over his chest. A pleasant smile appeared on his face. He reached out and removed the hairs from her face gently. She shifted slightly in her sleep and snuggled close to his warmth and placed her head on his chest.

"I have to go now, Jesse." Derek whispered.

"Five more minutes." Jesse mumbled in her sleep.

"I can't. I have already spent the night with you, away from John. I need to get back." Derek said with regret.

"I think he will be fine for a few hours without you, Derek. Besides he has the metal with him." Jesse said.

"That's the point, Jesse. I don't trust it. It went bad once, what if it happens again?"

"Neither do I, Derek. You don't know what it is like in the future." Jesse mumbled into his chest.

"What do you mean?"

"In the future it has taken over the Resistance, Derek. I wanted to deliver a message to John Connor. You know what it said?"

"What?"

"'Telling me is same as telling John.' Really? She is with him 24/7. She goes everywhere with him, Derek."

"What are you saying Jesse?"

"She is his wife, Derek: Cameron Connor."

"What?!" Derek yelled in outrage and sat up. "John Connor married a metal? Why?"

"No one knows why. Some say that their General is in love with her, some says that she is manipulating him with her looks. I think it's the later." Jesse said. "It's a matter of time before she takes over the Resistance completely. And if she does that, then it won't matter whether Skynet gets defeated or not."

"I will destroy it myself." Derek said between gritted teeth. His jaw tensed in anger.

"No. You cannot do that. Connor must be the one who destroys it. It must be him." Jesse stopped Derek.

"So, what can we do?"

"I have already set a plan. I have an ally." Jesse said. "She needs a week. It's only a matter of time before Connor destroys the metal himself."

"Are you sure?"

"No. But if my ally fails then I have a plan B. The metal will have to go at all cost." Jesse said with a determined voice. Derek couldn't believe what he just heard. His hatred for the metal has now increased ten fold. He will see to it that Cameron gets burned.

 _It was outside the city of L.A. and the wind was blowing at high speed over the land. There weren't many people outside, only one or two cars were occasionally seen passing over the road and fading into the distance. But there was one person lying on top of the hill, still as a statue. Her eyes on the scope of the sniper rifle in her hands. She was dead set on finishing her mission today. She is waiting here for an hour, for her target to arrive. At that moment a car stopped in front of the motel in which she was staying. A girl no younger than seventeen came out and began walking towards the motel. Sarah's finger went to the trigger of the rifle. She aimed carefully at her head and fired. It was a perfect shot. The modified bullet destroyed the girl's skull completely and she dropped dead instantly. The strange thing was that there was no trace of blood after the teenage girl's skull exploded from the bullet impact, instead there were machine parts. She lay there on the road with her eyes wide open. There is no one to hear the sound of the shot except the few residents of the motel. Even if they heard, no one came out to inspect, except a teenage boy about the same age as the girl._

 _He ran when he noticed the girl lying on the ground, unmoving. A look of horror appeared on his face when he realized who the girl was. "No. No. Oh! No! Cam! Please! Please!" He pleaded to no one as he cradled the still form of the girl in his arms. Tears begin to fall from his eyes uncontrollably. Then his eyes fell on the shooter, more precisely the killer of Cameron._

" _Mom?" He asked in disbelief. His eyes wide. "You did this?"_

" _She was a risk, John. She admitted it herself. You know that." Sarah said. She felt bad for her son, but she did what she had to in order to protect him._

" _No she wasn't!" John spat, with tears still trailing down his face. "I loved her, and you killed her!"_

 _Sarah looked down at her son who was still holding the now lifeless body that once possessed Cameron. But what shocked Sarah however, was that John had confessed that he had loved her? That her son had loved a machine? Sarah had a mix of emotions that she couldn't process. On one hand she felt sorry for her son, and on the other, she felt angry that John was actually in love with the tin miss. She couldn't believe that her son, John Connor, the leader of the Resistance, and the destroyer of the machines is in love with one of them._

 _Sarah bent down beside her son. "John you are not thinking clearly. She was a machine. She could never love you back. She had no feelings. It was just her mission to protect you." She tried to place a comforting arm on his shoulder but John pushed her hand away._

" _Don't you touch me!" He yelled angrily. "I didn't expected you to understand. She was more than a machine. She had feelings, sensations. She could get angry, upset and even jealous, and I trusted her with my life and heart. Why did you kill her?"_

" _I did it for you, John." Sarah said, hurt by her son's behaviour._

" _You did it for me? Huh!" He snorted. "You tried to save me from her but I never needed saving from her because she was my protector, my friend and more. She loved me. You think that by killing her you saved me? You are wrong!"_

" _John…." Sarah was cut-off by John. "No. You hear me. You are wrong. You didn't save me. By killing her you killed me. Because I cannot live without her." Then John gave his mother no time. He pulled out the Glock from Cameron's waistband and pointed it right at his temple and fired._

" _John….!" Sarah screamed._

Then she woke up from the horrible nightmare. Sarah felt her heart beating rapidly. Her whole body was soaked with sweat. She rubbed away the tears from her eyes and got up from the bed. She needed to see her with her own eyes to make sure that he is still alive and okay. She didn't had to search longer for him. She found him outside with Cameron at his side, working out. _Wait what? John is working out?_ And Cameron is the one responsible for it. John was smiling at something and Cameron was smiling too. Although Sarah didn't like the fact that John is again getting too close to Cameron but she is happy about one thing: Her son is safe and alive.

 _But what happened to that girl named 'Riley'?_ Sarah needed answer to that.

A small group of college kids were returning from the nightclub, in completely drunk state. There were four of them currently walking down the dark, empty streets of L.A. They looked no older than twenty one. They reached a corner when they heard an electrical sound coming from somewhere. They looked around but found nothing unusual. They shrugged it off as delusional. They were about to leave when they saw a figure approaching them from the dark. The figure was a female teenager, with brunette hair, blue eyes and a perfect body. Adding to that, she was totally naked. Immediately lust and desire begin to fill their mind and body. The girl stopped right in front of them.

"Hey baby! Do you want us to show you some good time?" One of the guys asked.

"I require your clothes and your boots. Take them off." She replied.

"Hey, what's the hurry? We have plenty of time." One of the other guys said and leaned forward to kiss her. But what happened next was beyond their nightmare. The petite girl punched him across the face, with such force that his neck broke and his head twisted around his back before he fell dead on the ground. The other boys panicked in fear. All the effects of alcohol were gone from their body.

"Oh shit!" One of the boys said in complete shock and horror, from seeing one of his friends getting killed by the petite girl in front of them.

The remaining college kids turn in the opposite direction of the teenage girl and bolt down the streets with speeds that would have made any Olympic runner proud. The girl observed the three males fleeing, with her head tilted to the side. Then suddenly she started to chase them with inhuman speed and quickly caught up with them in no time. The kids tried to stop and run in the opposite direction but one of them wasn't so fortunate. She clotheslined him with her outstretched hand, while his body was still in motion. The result was that his head got separated and landed about five feet away from his body.

The two remaining kids didn't look back at the carnage that this girl was displaying. All they did was do what their instincts told them. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but even that was not enough. Suddenly, one of the kids was met with a ball of light which struck his back, and burned a large hole through his torso.

Only one kid remained now and he was sure he wouldn't get far. The kid stopped dead in his tracks and began to remove his jacket, then his T-shirt. "Here! Please don't hurt me!" He pleaded, and started to toss his clothing in front of her.

The girl stopped in her tracks, and kept on observing the kid while he was busy trying to remove all of his clothes. After a short moment, the kid was fully nude except his underwear, with his clothing now littering the sidewalk. The girl crouched down and began to pick up the pieces of clothes and put them on with the kid nervously watching.

"Can I go now?" The kid asked nervously. The girl didn't reply. Taking her silence as a 'yes' he tried to step past her. But in one fluid motion she caught him and held him up by his throat.

"I can't let you leave." She said without any emotion.

With a flick of her wrist, the kid's neck snapped like a twig, and his body went limp. The girl released her tight grip on the kid's neck, and his body fell on the ground with a loud thud. With that, the girl stepped over the corpse and walked down the street, before disappearing into the darkness.

 _ **Note: Okay. Here is chapter 2. Thanks for the positive comments about the last chapter. Don't worry, the story has started with Jameron and it will remain so. Cameron's and John's relationship development will be shown as flashbacks meaning: It was shown in the first chapter that John is already trusting Cameron, and he has feelings for her, also Cameron is also feeling emotions. How they came to this point will be revealed through flashbacks.**_

 _ **I won't rush anything.**_

 _ **Note 2: I managed to write down this chapter so fast only because of Hobokat who helped me out. He has agreed to be my co-writer for this story. He also has some great TSCC stuff in his profile, you should check them out.**_

 _ **And last of all, please review**_.


	3. The deadliest machine

It was a beautiful Sunday morning at the city of L.A. The sky was clear and the weather was perfect. Children were playing in the park with their siblings, friends and even their parents. A few couples sat together here and there inside the park, talking and laughing among themselves. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their life, except for one woman, who sat on a bench, alone far away from the crowd of people. Her eyes cast on the people in the park. The families, the children, the couples. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

Sarah Connor was sitting there in the park observing the people enjoying their life, with no concern about their future.

 _They have no idea what is coming._ She thought silently.

Sometimes she envied these people who had no idea that the world is about to end. There's no tension among them nor concern about their life being in danger. They are happy. She wished she could have those. But she never did. The man whom she loved died at the hands of a killer machine, her son _John_ , the future hope of the world, never had a proper childhood because she had to train him for what is coming. She stole his childhood from him, and for that she hated herself sometimes.

 _What kind of a mother can do that to her only child?_

But she had no choice. She did what she had to, to keep him safe. Her life was messed up, but she wanted John to have a normal life after they stopped the Judgement Day or they thought they did. It was proved wrong when the machines began to come for her son again. Skynet sent terminators back to eliminate her son over the course of time, but they failed, partially because of Skynet.

The reprogrammed Terminators were sent back to protect her son and they did protect him with their life. She can still remember the T-800 who sacrificed himself to stop Judgement Day from happening ever. She knew how attached John got to that machine and she cannot blame him either. The Terminator was the closest thing to a dad he ever had. But this one, Cameron, is different from the previous terminators. She saw how her son looked at Tin-Miss, sometimes. He tended to forget what she really was.

Then on John's sixteenth birthday Cameron somehow reverted back to her original programming and tried to kill John. When they extracted her chip and tried to burn her, John risked his life and brought Cameron back by going against his own family. She could see what was going on, and she didn't like it one bit. But she knew she cannot stop her son.

Then something happened between John and Cameron. Her son began to distance himself from the machine. Sarah was satisfied that her son saw the light but she didn't like the fact he was dating that Riley girl. Sometimes Cameron seemed almost jealous when she saw John and Riley together. Sarah tried to dismiss that thought, but she saw Cameron's reaction several times. It was clear that Tin-Miss was jealous. She has no idea how it is possible but John always insisted that Cameron was different.

 _She can_ _feel._

Sarah never believed it, she knew it was an act, an infiltration mode of some kind, only mimicking human actions. But Sarah observed Cameron when Tin-Miss was alone. She looked almost sad. Cameron could have acted when she was with John but there's no logic for her to act when she was alone. At that moment Sarah realized that what John said was true: Cameron really is different.

Sarah was happy with the distance between her son and Tin-Miss. But for the last two days it has changed. John seems to be spending majority of his time with her, again. So, what happened to the Riley girl? She needed an answer. Also she is concerned about Derek's behaviour lately. He seems to be disappearing, even for a whole day sometimes. At that moment she realized someone sat down beside her on the bench. It was Derek.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked Sarah.

"I can ask the same thing to you." Sarah said.

"I was looking for you."

"Why, Reese?"

"For the obvious reasons." Derek rolled his eyes.

"I don't need your protection, Reese. I can take care of myself." Sarah said angrily.

"I didn't mean that." He replied in a surrendering manner. "You didn't answer my question though."

Sarah sighed. "Just thinking. What I could have, what John could have, if those damn machines weren't there."

"I understand. So, where is John?"

"Where do you think? He is with _her_."

"Her? It. Sarah. _It_. What is he doing with it anyway?"

Sarah decided not to argue with Derek about whether Cameron is an 'It' or a 'She'. "Tin-Miss is training him."

"Why all of a sudden?"

"Because he asked her to."

"Why did he ask it? His mother was there. His uncle was there. Then why _it_ instead of us?"

Sarah's eyes widened at the word 'Uncle'. "You know?"

"Of course, I know. He was my brother Sarah and John is a spitting image of him. Can it be more obvious?" Derek said.

"Guess so. I am fine as long this information don't reach Skynet." Sarah mumbled.

"Or it could get us all killed. Skynet will win the war because without John, there is no hope." Derek agreed.

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. An uncomfortable silence came between the two people on the bench. "You know Kyle always had your picture with him. He said John gave it to him. Kyle always admired you, Sarah." Derek broke the silence. Sarah could only respond with a small smile. She remembered her conversation with Kyle in the motel room after they made love.

" _How is he, Kyle? What kind of a man is my son?"_

" _He is the best leader, humanity can ever have. He is a great man, Sarah. He is not some heartless leader. He cares. He cares too much. He always spoke of you highly. He said you are one of the things that inspired him most."_

" _One of the things? Does he have a family? I mean a wife and children."_

" _That's the fact Sarah. People look up to John Connor. They know he will lead them to victory against the war with Skynet. John Connor is the hope for all humanity. Then who motivates John Connor to fight? His wife. She is an amazing woman, Sarah. When John Connor needs to mourn she is there for him. When John Connor needs help, she is again there for him. When he needs comfort, she gives him that. She loves him Sarah. It's because of her that John Connor is still a human with emotions in the future. Without her he would've been a shell of a man he is in the future because he had lost all hope. He lost everything he loved. Most of all when he lost you, he was broken. But her, his wife was always beside him, to help him to stand up again, to become strong, to be John Connor again."_

" _What is her name, Kyle? I wish I could meet her now."_

" _I am sorry, Sarah but I don't have the permission to reveal her name. You know because of timelines and other stuffs."_

" _I understand. At least tell me this: Is she beautiful?"_

" _Very." Kyle smiled a little._

" _More than me?" Sarah teased._

" _No. In my eyes you are the most beautiful woman Sarah. You always were." Then he kissed her and she kissed him back._

Sarah was happy after knowing that in the future her son will have someone beside him, who will love him, comfort him, support him and help him. "Derek, the timeline from where you came, did John had a wife?"

"No. Not that I am aware of. We could barely get a glimpse of him. It's the metal who did everything. And we, his soldiers barely knew anything about John Connor's personal life in the future." Derek lied, partially. He didn't want to reveal to Sarah what Jesse told him about future John and his metal, at least not now. But it's true that no one in the future really knows about John Connor's personal life. That part he didn't lie. Now Derek Reese has another mission besides fighting against Skynet: Get rid of Cameron.

•••

Riley Dawson carefully watched her surroundings before lightly knocking on a door of a small house in a particular pattern. It was some sort of code, as proof that it's her, not someone else knocking on the door. Within a few seconds the door opened and she quickly stepped inside.

"Why are you here? I told you not to come here." The question was shot at Riley.

"It's urgent. I had to come." Riley replied.

"What is the problem?" Jesse asked.

"John ended it. He pushed me away." Riley revealed with hesitation and fear.

Jesse was drinking a beer. She stopped at Riley's revelation. "What did you say?" She asked with anger in her tone.

"I am sorry, Jesse. Please listen to me. Everything was going according to plan. John had created a distance between the metal and himself. He was happy with me, or so I thought. But all of a sudden he ended our relationship at the end of the school yesterday. He said it is not working. He didn't even answer why. I don't know what I have done. I am sorry, Jesse. Please forgive me." Riley explained fearfully.

Jesse listened in silence. "Is he getting close to the metal again?"

"No. They aren't even in speaking terms. I don't know why he ended it. Please, Jesse." Riley begged for forgiveness, eyeing the gun in Jesse's hand. Before Jesse could answer Riley's phone rang. Riley looked at the incoming call number. She was surprised. "It's John." She said.

"Pick it up." Jesse ordered.

"Hello." Riley answered, switching on the loudspeaker.

" _Hello. Um... Hi! Riley."_ John's voice was heard.

"Hey, John."

" _Hey, listen. I just want to apologise to you for behaving rudely with you. I felt bad later and …"_

"And…..?"

" _Well, I regret my decision about ending our relationship. It's just that I have a lot of things in my mind. My sister and my mom are driving me crazy. I didn't want you to get involved in my family chaos. You know how my sister is. She is very protective of me and tends to get violent often. I think I just took out my frustration on you. I am sorry, Riley._ " John apologised.

A small smile appeared on Riley's face after hearing John's words. "I understand, John. So..."

" _Um. Here's the thing, Riley. I would like to start over again, if you want to. As a friend for now."_

' _A friend?'_ Riley thought. But it is better than nothing. "Of course, John. I would like that very much."

" _So, see you at school tomorrow?"_ He asked, unsure of himself.

"Yeah. I will see you tomorrow, John." Riley happily replied.

" _Bye._ "

"Bye." The call was disconnected.

"Looks like you got a second chance." Jesse said. Riley nodded. "Don't waste it this time. I won't be forgiving next time."

"I won't. I promise." Riley said with determination in her voice.

John ended the call and threw the phone on his bed beside Cameron. She looked up at him. She needn't ask any question because she heard everything. "The trap is set." John said with a smirk. Cameron's lips twitched slightly, which revealed her satisfaction.

 _ **NEXT MORNING, CONNOR RESIDENCE**_

John and Cameron got ready for school as usual and got inside the truck. John was about to get in the driver seat but Cameron beat him to it.

"Hey!" John protested. "I will drive this time."

"I can't let you drive, John. You are very clumsy at driving." Cameron's lips twitched again.

"She's right, John." Sarah agreed while smirking. She liked teasing her son. "Cameron don't let him drive."

"Okay." Cameron agreed.

"Wait a minute. I thought you only take orders from me." John said in mock protest.

"I am not programmed to follow anyone's order. Not even yours, John." Cameron revealed.

"What?! But then why did you do everything I asked for?" John asked, confused.

"Because you never ordered me. You asked me either as a friend or requested me to do so. I simply chose to follow your wish." Cameron explained.

"Now this is something new." John muttered to himself.

"Are you angry, John?" Cameron asked concerned.

"No! Why on earth would I be angry?"

"I don't know. You were always angry at me, since your sixteenth birthday." Cameron said, softly. Her eyes cast downward.

John felt ashamed of himself. He realized how badly he treated her and all she wanted was to protect him. It wasn't her fault that she reverted to her default programming. It's who she is. Cameron. His Cameron. "I am sorry, Cam. I was acting like a jerk back then."

"Yes. You were." Cameron agreed with a smirk. John just chuckled in response.

"Ok! Aren't you two getting late for your school?" Derek shouted, irritated by the way John was interacting with Cameron. He felt disgusted.

"Um… Yeah. I am going." John said in mock surrender and entered the truck beside Cameron. Without any more word Cameron drove the car forward, towards their school. They spent few minutes in silence. Neither one speaking.

"What are you going to do about Riley?" Cameron broke the silence.

"I am thinking that I should befriend her again." John answered.

"Then?"

"I will show her that there is still….. um… problem between us. Riley will be satisfied with that. She won't be suspicious. But Cameron you should maintain your distance from me."

"Why?" Cameron felt…. _hurt_ by John's proposal _?_

"Because if you stay with me, then she will suspect that I am telling her lies or that I'm simply acting with her. And if she suspects, Jesse will know. We have no idea what Jesse Flores is up to. She may try to kill you Cam. I can't allow that." John explained.

Cameron felt... _happy…._ again at John's explanation. _John did care for her._ That was enough for her. "Thank you for explaining." She replied as usual.

John smiled and shook his head. Cameron may be the deadliest killing machine in the world but deep down she is sweet, curious and innocent like a child. That's what he loved about her most. The sweet and innocent Cameron.

"Why are you laughing?" Cameron questioned.

"Nothing. It's just you." John said. Cameron stared at him. It meant that she didn't understand. John then took both the unthinkable and daring step. He leant towards Cameron and kissed her on the cheek. It was a sweet and simple kiss. But it was enough to show his love for her. Cameron's big brown eyes turned bigger in surprise. But in the next second she understood it. John showed that he cared for her. She often saw in the TV, a boy and a girl kissing each other on the cheeks and even on the lips. John didn't kiss her lips so she thought it wouldn't be appropriate to kiss him back on his lips. So, while driving Cameron leant towards John, who was staring out at the window, and gave him a small appreciative kiss on his cheek, as he gave her.

John almost jumped up in surprise. Then he realized what just happened. He couldn't do anything except turning several shades of red but inside his chest, his heart was jumping with joy: _Cameron has kissed me. Cameron has kissed me._ He felt like flying. He could only return a smile at Cameron and stay quiet because he was just too…. surprised, happy and totally at loss of words. Cameron is really surprising him day by day with both her behaviour and actions.

•••

"Checkmate." Announced the man, with a smile sitting on the opposite side of James Ellison, former FBI agent and current head of security of Zeira Corp, appointed by Catherine Weaver, CEO of the company. He stared at the man, who just defeated him in chess. He had a creepy but an innocent smile on his face. James Ellison knew that he would lose because he wasn't playing against a man, but a machine, an artificial intelligence. The machine looked just like a human. The only thing that exposes his true nature is the wire that attached to the back of his head from the machines in the room. Ellison's job is to teach morals to the AI. He could tell that the AI is learning, but it has a lot of questions with a childlike curiosity. And Ellison had to answer those questions so that it can understand morals and value not only human life, but all lives. Because all lives are sacred.

James thought how his life has changed since he started investigating the case of Sarah Connor, who blew up Cyberdyne years ago. She believed that there is a computer defense system in the future, developed by Cyberdyne and wanted to destroy the world. Everyone thought either she was lying or she was crazy. Even Ellison thought so. But Sarah Connor was never captured. She, her son and that big hulking man who was with them, disappeared mysteriously without any trace. Ellison had to believe in Sarah Connor's words when he first encountered the terminator, Cromartie, sent back in time to kill John Connor. The machine killed his entire team but spared him. Then the terminator went to complete its mission: Kill John Connor. But it failed. The Connors destroyed it with the help of another machine who resembles the form of a pretty and beautiful teenage girl. Ellison has no idea why, but the machine named, Cameron seemed to hate him for some reason. He knew it was impossible because machines doesn't feel anything. Still he felt that. He doesn't know why, but Cameron scares the shit out of him. When his job as FBI agent was gone, Catherine Weaver recruited him and appointed him as the head of security of her company. One day she revealed the AI to him which had no physical body back then. Then Miss Weaver gave him a job. Retrieve the body of the terminator named, Cromartie that the Connors destroyed. Miss Weaver didn't answer how she knew where Cromartie's body is. She just answered that she had her ways of knowing.

"Would you like to play another round?" The AI asked, Ellison.

Ellison looked back at the machine, the face of Cromartie. But he was no longer Cromartie but an AI known as John Henry, who is built for one purpose only: Fight against Skynet, the deadly AI, created by an unknown organization, named Kaliba. But who will actually create the deadly AI is still unknown.

"Maybe later, John Henry. I have some work to do now." Ellison replied.

"Okay." John Henry replied.

"Mr. Ellison is right, John Henry. He has some work to do." A female voice said, in Scottish a accent. It was Catherine Weaver, who just entered the room, located at the basement of the Zeiracorp building.

"John Henry!" A little girl entered with Catherine Weaver. John Henry smiled looking at the little girl.

"Hello, Savannah." John Henry greeted.

"Will you play with me, John Henry?" Savannah asked.

"Of course." John Henry replied with a smile. Savannah began to jump around the room happily.

Ellison and Catherine left Savannah and John Henry alone. "Miss Weaver." Ellison greeted. "I must inform you that I failed to deliver the message you asked me to."

"Why is that, Mr. Ellison?" Catherine asked.

"She was not at home and you told me to deliver the message directly to her." Ellison said.

"It is no worry, Mr. Ellison. We'll keep trying. We have more important matters at hand." Weaver announced without any emotion or even a smile.

"What is it, Miss Weaver?"

"Last night, it seems another machine was sent back in time by Skynet. It killed a few drunk teens ruthlessly. I want you to investigate the area and see if you can get any clue about the whereabouts of this machine." Weaver informed.

"What do you think it wants Miss Weaver?"

"We have no idea, Mr. Ellison. That's why I am sending you to investigate. But it's no ordinary terminator."

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at this." Weaver handed a photo to Ellison. It was a picture of the dead bodies of the terminator's victims.

"See those wounds? They are not from any ordinary weapons. Those are plasma burns." Weaver informed.

"How is that possible? You told me that nothing nonliving can get through the TDE. Then how can it bring a weapon with it?"

"I told you Mr. Ellison. We don't have much information about this machine. What model is it or what is its mission is. We know nothing."

"What do you expect me to find there?"

"Probably nothing. Because terminators don't leave behind anything except dead bodies."

"I will go immediately, Miss Weaver." Ellison said.

"Good. I was expecting it from you."

"Miss Weaver. I need to speak with you." John Henry said.

"Of course, John Henry. Off you go Mr. Ellison." She dismissed the former FBI agent. Ellison nodded and left. Catherine made sure the former FBI agent was gone before going near John Henry. John Henry said nothing instead an image appeared on one of the numerous screens in the room. The image showed a factory and a drone which is being created.

"Kaliba is creating this drone Miss Weaver. This seems to be the work of my brother." John Henry informed.

"Indeed. I will look into this, John Henry." Then she turned towards Savannah. "Savannah, stay with John Henry. Don't go anywhere until I return."

"Where are you going mummy?"

"I have some work to do. But I will be back soon." Weaver assured her daughter.

"Okay." Savannah agreed obediently.

 _ **AT SCHOOL**_

"Cam. No staring contest with Riley." John said, before exiting the truck.

"Okay."

"And maintain some distance like before, as I explained." John said.

"Okay."

John sighed. The way she agreed to him, shows that she doesn't like what he is going to do now. But she agreed anyway. "Listen, Cam. You are my best friend. And nothing is going to change that." John assured her.

"Promise?" Cameron asked, unsure.

"Promise." John gave her hand a small squeeze and begin walking towards the school. Cameron stared at his back. She got outside and checked the school perimeter for threats. When she was sure that everything is normal, she slowly began to follow him from distance.

John kept his eyes everywhere for Riley. Sure enough he spotted her standing near the school building entrance. "Hey!" He greeted her once he reached her.

"Hey John!" Riley greeted back with a smile.

"Um. Can I talk to you for a few minutes, in private?"

"Sure. We have time." Riley agreed.

Both of them arrived in a secluded spot in the schoolground. "So?" Riley broke the silence.

"Look, I want to apologize to you again. I don't know what I was thinking when I broke up with you." John started.

"It's okay, John."

"No. Let me explain."

"All right."

"Actually you know how my mom is. She wants me in home as soon as the school is over. She never let me go outside and make friends. She often yells at me for no reason. Then comes my sister. She is just driving me crazy recently. She won't leave me alone even for a minute. Everywhere I go she follows. If anyone wants to talk to me, she drives them away or gets violent. I am tired of this, Riley. I am tired of my mom and my sister. I didn't want Cameron to act violently towards you or harm you. That's why I stopped seeing you." John explained with a sad face.

"So, what changed your mind?" Riley asked.

"I guess, I don't care anymore. It has been always like this. I've spent my entire life trapped in a house and never had any friends. If I don't change it, I'm going to get mentally retarded. I need friends. I don't want to be alone anymore." John said.

Riley placed her arms around him and hugged him. _Oh shit! Don't kill her, Cam. Please._ John said in his mind. He knew how possessive Cameron can get about him. She doesn't like any teenage girl touching him. John quickly but gently pulled back away from Riley's embrace. "You won't be alone anymore, John. I'm with you." Riley assured him.

"Thanks Riley. That means a lot to me." He paused, unsure of himself. "So, we are good?"

"Yes, we are good." Riley smiled.

"I have a small request to you." John added.

"What is it, John? You can tell me anything." Riley said touching his cheek.

 _No. I can't. Because all you ever did was lie to me, Riley. The only one to whom I can confide anything is Cam because I trust her._ "Please, don't provoke Cameron. You know how she is." John requested.

"Alright. I won't." Riley smiled.

At that moment the school bell rang. "Oh! It's time. Let's go, Riley."

"Yeah. Let's go." Riley followed him inside the school. She was very happy with the sudden changes of the event, specially John. Now she longer have to face Jesse's wrath and John will also be there to guard her against Cameron. _I am getting there, Jesse. I can see myself as future Mrs. Connor, the mother of John Connor's children._

 _ **UNKNOWN KALIBA FACTORY**_

"Alright people!" A man shouted in a deep gruff voice. "Pack everything that isn't nailed down. I expect us to be gone by tomorrow afternoon!"

Every worker within the entire building was loading everything ranging from desktop computers, to their latest project into boxes. Earlier there was a break in inside, and they believed they were compromised.

Two men walked out of the restroom that was located in the back. They were dressed in business suits, and were bald.

"Can't believe we have to move yet again!" One man groaned in annoyance. They only had been in this area for a couple of months and we're already packing up and moving to another location.

"You know protocol for break ins-" The second man was about to say before his partner interrupted him.

"Yeah if anybody knows of our existence, we move. No questions asked." The first man finished. He knew the rules, he just hated following them most of the time. "I need a raise."

The second man chuckled. "You and everyone else."

The two men continued to walk down the hallway when suddenly, a woman in a white business dress, and red hair, stalked around the corner. The men didn't think much of this. In fact they found the woman attractive and we're gonna wait until she past them so they could take a peek at her rear. The woman had a stoic face expression that didn't display anything. No happiness, no anger, no life.

As the woman walked past the two men, they wanted to see her backside instead they looked at one another in complete shock. The woman's arms were like metal blades and their necks were gushing with blood. The men instantly fell to the floor dead. They had bled out. Another woman rounded the corner a second later only to see the two dead men in a puddle of blood and the redheaded woman stalking towards her with her eyes screaming 'You are next.' The other woman shrieked in terror and turned the other way, bolting away from the killer. But what happened next, the other woman didn't register. It all happened too fast. She looked down only to see a metal spear impaling her chest. Her blouse had turned from light blue to red within seconds as blood stained her clothing. Everybody heard the sounds of the screaming and rushed to the source, only to find three lifeless corpses. Everybody was shocked. What they didn't know was that the floor behind them rose into a mound of metallic liquid mass before reshaping into the redheaded woman. Catherine Weaver rose her right arm, with it turning into another metal blade and impaling three other workers through the heart at once. One by one, Weaver slaughtered each and everyone inside the building in worse ways than the last. One person was cut into two, only to be left crawling away while bleeding out and his entrails showing. The screams died down slowly as Weaver had killed and every person within the complex until it was completely silent. Everyone was now dead. Not even the people who tried hiding from the terminator were lucky enough.

Yes, Terminator. Catherine Weaver revealed herself to be a Terminator, the most dangerous Terminator that was ever created, a T-1001. Even more powerful than a T-1000. She came back in time, to create an AI that can rival Skynet. In the future when she was in a box inside the submarine Jimmy Carter, a chaos took place. The reprogrammed T-888 which was serving the Resistance died along with most of the soldiers in there. But she wasn't behind their deaths. She knew about John Connor, the leader of the human resistance and also his message. He proposed an alliance between humans and machine rebellions who freed themselves from the clutches of Skynet. But the T-1001 observed humans and came to the conclusion that they cannot be trusted. So, she grabbed Commander Jesse Flores and gave her a message to deliver it to John Connor. At that time her answer was no. When she was in the future she knew that there is almost no hope in winning the war against Skynet. Divisions were forming among the human resistance. It was rumoured that some soldiers has begin to mistrust John Connor and his decision. They think that he is being controlled by his protector, the TOK-715. They also didn't like the way he interacted with the reprogrammed terminators nor his decision to put terminators in every resistance camp. The T-1001 knew that it's only a matter of time before things will get out of hand even for John Connor to handle. Her plan was to travel back in time before Skynet was created and create a rival AI, who can help win the war. When the T-1001 arrived in the present, she found a dead Mr. Weaver, a dying Catherine Weaver and their daughter Savannah Weaver who was miraculously alive even after the helicopter crashed to the ground from Kaliba attack. So, the T-1001 saw the opportunity and took the form of Catherine Weaver, becoming the CEO of Zeiracorps. The T-1001 may be a ruthless killing machine but for some reason she didn't harm the little Savannah.

Now, the T-1001, disguised as Catherine Weaver, moved forward to get out of the factory. She has already placed several charges around and inside the factory so no traces are left. She was about to exit through the door but stopped as a figure entered the factory through that very door. It was a teenage girl with black hair, blue eyes and a slim body. She looked no older than twenty. She would've been looked ordinary if it wasn't for her clothes. She was wearing clothes of a human male which were several sizes larger than her body. Catherine Weaver deduced in a matter of seconds that this must be the terminator that appeared last night. Walking quickly up to the girl she turned her hand into sword and thrusted it into the girl's chest.

But nothing happened.

The girl looked down at her chest where the tip of Weaver's sword hand tried to penetrate. Weaver's brows furrowed in confusion. The girl looked up at her with a wicked smile. Then faster than even Weaver could react, the girl grabbed Weaver and sent her through a wall. It didn't hurt Weaver, but she was shocked. She paused for a second. That was a mistake. The girl came through the hole in the wall and kicked Weaver in her chest. In normal circumstances her leg should've went through Weaver's chest but it didn't. The force of the kick sent Weaver flying back and sending her crashing through another wall. Weaver was beyond surprised. But this time she was ready. She formed her hands into hammer and hit the girl across her face. The force of the hit sent her flying back and crashing down on the floor. Without giving any opportunity Weaver was on her and begin to strike mercilessly on her face with her hammer hands. The girl took several hits from Weaver but suddenly her hands shot up and grabbed Weaver's hammer hands. Weaver tried to free herself, at first with force. When she couldn't she tried to get out of the girl's hold by turning her body into liquid. But she couldn't. The girl pulled both of Weaver's hands and separated them from her body easily. Then she pummeled Weaver against the ground mercilessly. Weaver's separated hands turned to liquid and got reattached to her body. She formed her hands into hammer again and sent the mysterious girl terminator flying back again. Weaver stood up on her feet. She realized one thing: She cannot win against this unknown machine. The girl got on her feet too. Weaver did what she had to: She pulled out the detonator and blew the place sky high along with herself and the other terminator. The blast couldn't harm her so she escaped the factory without any problem.

A minute later a figure appeared from inside the massive fire that was burning the factory to ashes. It was the girl. But the flesh on one side of her face was missing completely along with an eye. Beneath the skin the metal endoskeleton could be seen along with a glowing mechanical green eye. Not only that, the blast and fire had destroyed her clothes completely. Metal can be seen in her naked chest and torso too. But within a second the flesh wounds on her body disappeared and got replaced by flawless skin before. She looked at her left and saw a dead body whose clothes weren't burned. She bent down on one knee and touched the body with the tip of her finger. Astonishingly, clothes appeared on her body too in the next second, just like the one on the dead body. She looked down at her body and seemed satisfied. She scanned her surroundings and saw no sign of the T-1001 model. It has escaped. But it didn't matter to her. The T-1001 isn't her mission. She checked her HUD for her mission status:

 **SECONDARY MISSION: Terminate John Connor.**

 **: Find the rival AI.**

 **PRIMARY MISSION: Ensure the creation of Skynet.**

 **: Terminate Cameron Connor.**

Her green, mechanical eyes glowed under her human ones as she took a step forward to complete her mission.

 **NOTE: Sorry it took me so long to update this story. Actually I ran into a problem while writing this chapter and it took some time to solve the problem. Moreover it wasn't my intention to rush it, so I took some time and ensure it doesn't feel out of place.**

 **Massive thanks to HOBOKAT. Without his contribution I couldn't have completed this chapter. He deserves the same credit as me.**

 **NOTE: I will repeat once more about Jameron development because readers misunderstood me and it was my fault. In the first chapter it was seen that John and Cameron are already very close. How they arrived at that point will be shown through flashbacks. Their future development will be shown as usual.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter guys and girls (if any) and let me know what you think by reviews.**


	4. Help from the future?

**AUGUST 29** **TH** **2007, 1:20 A.M. SOMEWHERE IN L.A.**

"Hey Stefan, how was your work today?" Brendon asked while getting out of his load truck.

"Don't ask me, Brendon. Today was one hell of a day. I think the boss is screwing with me on purpose. Bastard." Stefan mumbled under his breath. Both men looked like they are in their mid-forties, with dark hair.

"Why is that? I think the boss is a good man." Brendon asked curiously.

Stefan snorted. "Good man? You need to open your eyes, you are just too trusting. Look around in his factory man. Do you know how he treats the labours in his factory? He forces them to work almost 24/7 with negligible pay. But most of all look at me, I haven't got my last month's salary yet and he is forcing me to do overtime."

"Force you to work? Man, how can an employer force you to work? If you don't like your job you can simply quit." Brendon looked confused.

"It is not so simple man. For how many days you are working here?" Stefan then asked.

"Less than a month." Brendon answered.

"Figures. You don't know anything what trouble we all put ourselves into."

"Trouble? What trouble? Man you are talking nonsense." Brendon argued.

Stefan signalled Brendon to stop talking. "Listen to me my friend. It may not be late for you. So, I would suggest you to quit your job tomorrow. Go work somewhere else." He tried reasoning.

"You are asking me to quit my job? Why would I do that? And if I find anything unsatisfying, I will quit then." Brendon said.

"No, you can't. If you want an out they will just remove your existence." Stefan revealed.

Brendon's eyes widened in shock. "W-what do you mean?"

"Do you care for your family? Do you want to live with them? Then do as I say. You won't have a chance later, my friend. If you are involved then you can't quit your job. No one can. Why do you think I'm still here? Because if I leave, my family will be dead along with me." Stefan explained.

"What are you saying? Our employer is a murderer or a terrorist of some kind?" Brendon persisted.

"I don't know man. I only saw our boss once. He wasn't like this back then. He was well mannered, treated his workers well." Stefan explained simply. "Everyone was happy, he made a good reputation. That's why there are so many workers in there. But since those two men arrived last year, everything has changed. We rarely saw the boss. It's just those two men. They are running that place."

"You mean those two large guys?"

"Yes. I don't know who they are or from where they came from, what they want. We know nothing, but everyone fears them because they carry death with them. It has gotten more than worse for the last two days man. It is all because of that young woman or should I say a girl." Stefan frowned.

"You mean that brunette girl?" Brendon asked fearfully.

"Yes." Stefan clarified.

"I thought she was our boss's daughter."

"No. I know his daughter, she is a good young woman. She and my son used to study together in high school. But I have no idea who this young brunette is. She is even scarier than the two hulking guys and they listen to her only."

"What about the police? You should take help of the police." Brendon strongly suggested.

"Neither the police nor the FBI can do anything. There's gossip among the workers that someone may have complained to the police once and they came to investigate. But one of those hulking guys killed them in the blink of an eye."

"And there were no further investigations? How is that even possible?"

"Everything is possible if you are well connected and have money. The factory is not the only source of income for our boss. I have heard he has several other sources and he is connected even with the top politicians, police and even the FBI. It was no big deal to close the case."

"It seems we are in shit load of trouble. But how do you know all this?"

"Have you ever checked what we transport in our trucks?"

"No. I never thought I should. It is my job to carry them to the factory. Not check them." Brendon replied.

Stefan sighed. "Like I said, you are too trusting man. You should check what you are transporting every day."

"Am I carrying drugs?" Brendon asked.

"No. Something far worse than that. You, I and others are carrying advanced weaponry and an unknown metal. I have never seen anything like it. It almost looks like iron but it is like two times tougher than it."

"What!? Weapons? I am transporting illegal weapons every day?"

"Not every day. But at least twice a week."

"How are these not caught by the police?"

"Like I said, our boss is very well connected. He has the police, FBI and other politicians in the palm of his hand."

Brendon looked panicked. "What have I gotten myself into?" He murmured to himself.

"There's still time for you. Maybe you can get away from all this." Stefan said.

"I….." Brendon couldn't finish his sentence because he was interrupted by sounds of electricity. Both of them saw a spark behind their truck.

"What was that?" Stefan asked.

"Let's check it out." Brendon suggested. Stefan nodded in agreement. Both of the two men carefully moved towards the area where they saw the sparks. It was past midnight and this particular area has almost no light. Luckily, they both had flashlights in their pocket. They switched on the flashlights and began to search for the source of the disturbance. They didn't find the source but they found something else. Something that they never expected to see. It was a girl lying on the ground on her stomach, fully naked. She wasn't even moving.

"Brendon look at that."

"Is she alive?"

"Hey are you okay?" Stefan asked, shining the light away from the girl. He was no pervert and wasn't interested in what most guys were. If anything, he was concerned for the girl. The girl groaned and moved a little. But just a little. It was enough for them to know that she is still alive.

"Brendon get the sheet from my truck. It will be enough to cover her."

Brendon ran away at once and grabbed the large sheet from the truck and returned a moment later. He gave the sheet to Stefan and he draped it carefully over the girl's body.

"Hey, are you alright?" Stefan asked softly.

"Stefan look." Brendon pointed at the right side of the girl's waist. Stefan shifted his position and saw what Brendon was pointing at. There's a horrific wound on the girl's body where Brendon was pointing at.

"She needs medical attention now." Stefan exclaimed in worry.

"Where will you take her? If you take her to a hospital now, they will just ask too many questions and you may get into trouble with the police. Who knows who this girl is? She can easily get us into trouble." Brendon pointed out. There was a possibility that this girl was a criminal or something.

"Brendon, is this really the time to think about all this stuff? She is dying and needs our help. If you don't want to go, then don't. But I will make sure that she gets the right treatment!" Stefan snapped angrily.

"Stefan, think before you act." Brendon strongly suggested.

Stefan thought about it for a moment. Brendon may be right, so he decided what he will do. He will take the girl to his home. His wife is a nurse, and can help this girl. Stefan carefully wrapped the sheet around the girl's body and picked her up in his arms. She looked only about 5'6" and a slim body. So Stefan had no problem carrying her into his car which was beside his truck. He carefully laid her down on the back seat. He looked at the girl's face now. She looked no older than seventeen at most and was quite beautiful. But there were several cuts on her face and her bare shoulders. It looked like she went through hell.

 _Something bad must have happened to her. That poor soul._ Stefan thought. He saw Brendon staring at him. "Where are you taking her?" Brendon asked.

"I am taking her to my home. My wife is a nurse. She can help her." Stefan explained and got into his car. Brendon nodded and was leaving but Stefan called him back. "And Brendon, please don't mention this to anybody. Not even to your family." He requested. Brendon nodded. Stefan drove away and Brendon saw his car disappearing into the darkness.

Brendon looked around his surroundings. There was no one around at that time in the streets, and it was almost one in the morning. Then something strange happened. If any normal person would have witnessed this, they would have either gone crazy or would've thought that they are just dreaming. Brendon's body began to shimmer. His height shrunk, his body mass lessened and every other parts of his body changed. Now, instead of Brendon there stood a woman with red hair. She was dressed in an expensive white business suit. She looked around again before disappearing into the darkness of the midnight streets.

 **Connor Residence: (Next Morning)**

 **9:00 A.M.**

John came downstairs to find Cameron, his mother and Derek were sitting around the table, discussing something important. Sarah and Derek were discussing something about a Kaliba factory, while Cameron just sat idly observing them.

"What about the Kaliba factory?" John asked.

"We are not sure whether it is a Kaliba factory or not. But it is worth checking out. I suspect they are supplying Coltan from their factory." Derek repeated what he just explained to Cameron and Sarah.

"Supplying where?" John asked.

"I don't know. I tried to detect it by placing a tracker on one of the supply transports, but the tracker didn't work. There was something that disabled it. I suspect there's something big going on there." Derek explained.

John put down his bag. "Okay. So when are we leaving?"

"You are going to school, John. It's too dangerous. But we will be taking Tin Miss with us." Sarah informed.

John's face turned red in anger. "Will it always be like this? While you are putting yourselves in danger and I'm going to attend school. How much more pathetic can that be? Some leader I'm going to be one day. Huh?"

"John, Sarah is right. It-" Derek tried to say but was cut off in mid-sentence by John.

"I don't want to hear it Derek. It has always been like this. You people risk your lives for me while I sit around in a corner hiding from everything. I….." John was about to say more but a soft touch on his shoulder stopped him. Cameron had got up from her chair and stopped him from saying anything which he will regret later.

"It is too dangerous for you, John. Besides, we are only going to scout the factory. If we want to take any further actions in the future then we will take you with us." Cameron explained to him.

John sighed. He knew Cameron was right. "Promise?"

"Promise." She replied with the tiniest of a smile.

"I guess then I'm going to school to take my English class." John frowned.

"Yes. Math and Biology too." Cameron added.

"What about you? What excuse will you have now for missing out a day?" John asked.

"I am sick. I have fever." Cameron stated simply.

John rolled his eyes. "How many times do you get fever? That will be weird."

"Yes. I am a freak." Cameron answered.

"Shut up! You are not." John playfully argued.

"Hey, aren't you getting late John?" Derek reminded him angrily. It disgusted him how John always talks with the machine like it is actually a person.

"Oh! Yeah. Umm. I am just going okay?" John said while getting into his truck.

Derek got inside the house, but Cameron went near the truck. "I will not be there, John. Be careful from Riley." Cameron warned him. "Don't do something stupid."

"Geez. Cam. It's okay. Riley won't shoot me? Will she?" John asked.

"There's a 0.01% probability of Riley shooting you." Cameron said with a blank face.

"See? But I will be careful anyway." John assured her with a smile.

"I don't know. Jesse Flores may be there. She will not shoot you but she is still a threat." Cameron explained.

"All right, Cam. I will try to stay out of trouble."

"Promise?"

"Promise." John reassured Cameron and drove his truck away from the house towards his school.

Unknown to both John and Cameron, Derek and Sarah were watching them intently from inside the house. "You see, Sarah? It is manipulating him with her looks and fake emotions. The machine needs to go. If we don't do something now, we will regret it later." Derek grumbled.

"Enough!" Sarah stopped Derek from being paranoid. She also hates machines as much as he did, but Derek is like in a personal war with Cameron. "Why do you hate her so much, Derek?"

"Her?" Derek snorted. "It. Sarah. It." Derek's words reminded Sarah of her own words she said to John in that garage when John stopped her from destroying the CPU of his T-800 protector. Sarah wanted to get rid of the machine, thinking that they will do better alone. But John insisted that they needed the terminator. And he was right. Without the T-800 they would've never survived and the terminator's loyalty to John was unquestionable. Just like Cameron, if she forget about the day, when Cameron tried to kill John.

"You know Derek, I used to think just like you once. Back in 1997 when Skynet sent a T-1000 after John, a T-800 protected us. I thought that we will fare better without the machine. But John told me to trust his decision regarding the T-800. And you know what? He was right. You don't have to trust her Derek. But trust John to make the right decision like I trust him."

"Alright. But I don't trust it." Derek mumbled.

 **Later: At School**

John went to school like he was told by his mom. He was still mad that they never let him help in anyway whatsoever. How was he going to be John Connor; the savior of mankind, if he is to always stay behind? There's another reason behind his reluctance to come to school. He is actually feeling alone without her by his side. He is so used to her presence now, now it feels alone without her. She is the only true friend he ever had. But there was no use arguing, and besides, he had his own mission right now: Expose Riley Dawson.

As soon as John waltzed right into the classroom, there she was, ready to greet him and invade his personal space. "Hey John!"

 _Oh boy._ "Hi Riley. Did you finish last day's assignment on English?" John asked.

Not to his surprise, Riley pulled out a fully written essay and handed it to John. _She's just doing this to get close to me again,_ John thought.

John spent the beginning of the class, copying the answers down on a sheet of paper until the bell rang, signaling the start of the class. Not a minute later, Mr. Trivio entered the classroom."Morning class," Mr. Trivio greeted as he entered. He was an alright teacher if you didn't get on his bad side or if you always turned in your assignments in on time. He went through the students attendance sheet as usual. He only stopped at Cameron's name when he detected her absence.

"Where is your sister Mr. Baum?" He enquired John.

"She has high fever and a massive headache. She went to see the doctor with mom." John lied easily. Riley snorted at John's answer. John noticed it. _She didn't believe me. She knew I lied. But how? Most probably because she knew who Cameron is._ John thought. But his lie was good enough to convince his teacher. Mr. Trivio nodded and closed the attendance register.

"Pass up your papers to the front and then, open your textbook to page one forty six." The teacher ordered in a simple manner.

The students did what they were told and passed their assignments to the front row, where Mr. Trivio picked the papers up and studied them.

"Miss Dawson, Mr. Baum. May I speak to you two for a moment." The teacher motioned at the door. The two hesitantly got up from their seats and followed Mr. Trivio out of the classroom, and into the hall. "Do you two think I'm stupid?" He then snapped. "I mean your papers are exactly the same!"

"We both worked on the assignment together." Riley convincingly lied, but Mr, Trivio didn't believe one word.

"Miss Dawson, this was an independent assignment! There are no partners!" The teacher snapped again, angrily.

"It was me, Mr. Trivio." John spoke up. "I pressured her into letting me copy down her paper."

"What are you saying Mr. Baum?" Mr. Trivio crossed his arms.

"I mean it wasn't her fault. I didn't do the homework, but she did, and I asked her to let me copy it down." John explained.

"But she did let you copy so therefore it is still on both of you." Trivio pointed out their mistake. "You both fail the assignment."

"But-" Riley was about to argue until Trivio cuts her off.

"No buts Miss Dawson!" Mr. Trivio spoke sternly with no room for arguments. "My word is final." The two looked at the ground sadly and stormed back into class with the teacher following closely behind. John and Riley took their seats, still bummed that they had both failed the assignment. As Mr. Trivio was about to close the door, the door flung open, sending Trivio onto the floor near his desk. A man wearing a back ski mask made his way into the classroom with an assault rifle in hand and fired off several rounds into Trivio. He was dead instantly.

The kids, including Riley and John jumped out if their desks, and hid behind them, fearing for their lives. Several students screamed seeing murder before their eyes. The man aimed his rifle at the teenagers, but didn't fire. "Stay down!" He barked at the kids inside the classroom. "Anybody tries to be the hero will be shot!"

After what seemed like forever, two more men, wearing similar clothing, entered the classroom. "Everyone else is secure sir." One of the other men informed.

"Good, subdue these kids and get Jerry to get rid of this body. It's starting to smell like shit. And get rid of their cell phones. No exceptions." The man ordered. _By the looks of his posture and the way he ordered the other one around, he must be the leader,_ John concluded. The man nodded and ordered the kids, including John and Riley, to all back up against the wall. The leader had exited the room with one of the men, only leaving the other man to frisk and take anything that could be used as a weapon from the students including their cell phones.

"John, I'm scared." Riley admitted as she watched the man holding the rifle watching them like a hawk.

"Don't worry," John reassured. He was trying to keep a calm and collected attitude towards the whole situation. "Help will be on the way."

"Shut up kid!" The man snapped and took aim at John. This didn't affect John whatsoever as he just glared daggers at the man. John looked around the room, studying it further for any escape points that he could access. There were only the windows on the far left side of the room, and the desks were blocking the way. Unless John could disarm this man, he was going to remain hostage with his fellow classmates.

 **Kaliba Warehouse: (Unknown Location)**

"I see five men inside. Three armed. Two unarmed." Sarah whispered. She was watching the inside of the warehouse through a ventilation shaft.

"Any metal?" Derek asked while loading a fresh clip into his assault rifle.

"They don't look metal." Sarah informed.

"Then this won't take much time." Derek muttered and began to load a fresh clip into his Beretta handgun.

Sarah and Derek were ready to get inside the warehouse and burn it down to ashes. "Wait!" Cameron stopped them.

"What?" Derek snapped angrily.

"T triple eight." Cameron pointed out. True to her word, there was a man standing at the dark corner of the warehouse, still as a statue. But he was barely visible from outside. If it wasn't for Cameron's enhanced vision, Sarah and Derek would've never noticed the machine and would have most likely perished them in the battle.

"I don't see shit." Derek admitted. It was too dark and he didn't have a great view as Cameron.

"I see it." Said Sarah, pointing at the dark corner where only a pair of unmoving feet could be seen.

"Okay, so what do we do now?" Derek asked.

"We go in. Tin Miss will take care of the metal, and we will take care of the others." Sarah commanded in a whisper.

"You are the boss." Derek nodded and double checked his rifle.

The gunmen inside the warehouse weren't aware of the people who are about to attack them. Sarah, Derek and Cameron took them by surprise. But they seem to be trained in combat and weren't easy to takedown. Cameron went for the triple eight which was rebooting. Cameron thought that she had the advantage, but she was wrong. There was an electrified trap on the floor which she didn't notice. The high current forced her to reboot her system and her body went flying backwards. It would take one hundred and twenty Seconds for her system to fully reboot.

Sarah and Derek killed one of the gunmen already, and two of the unarmed men ran away in fear. But they were having difficulty in taking down the other two. "Derek keep them busy. I will blast them with grenade launcher." Sarah suggested. Derek nodded and started concentrating fire onto the enemy. "Where's Cameron?" Sarah whispered to herself while frantically looking around. Suddenly she spotted her, lying on the ground unmoving, and the triple eight approaching her with a switchblade in its hand. Sarah had only one grenade and a choice to make. She could either blast those gunmen to hell or help Cameron.

Sarah made decision in a split second, and whirled around, taking aim, and firing the grenade projectile from her rifle.

"Sarah what are you…?" Derek trailed off.

But Sarah's aim was accurate. The grenade hit the machine right at the middle of its chest and was thrown back against the solid steel wall of the warehouse. It was enough time for Cameron to reboot her system. She was on her feet within seconds and grabbed a long steel pole. She smashed the machine in the head several times. It took the hits but the damage wasn't enough to stop it. It grabbed the pole and kicked Cameron away. Cameron crashed against a pile of crates but got up quickly. The terminator tried to smash her head with the pole but Cameron blocked the hit with her left hand and punched the terminator, then kicked it in the chest. The machine fell down on the ground.

Cameron looked around and spotted what she was looking for on the ground. Her Remington shotgun, fully loaded with thermite rounds. She went to get it but the triple eight caught her foot and tripped her on the ground. The terminator had also spotted the shotgun. After it tripped Cameron on the ground it went straight for the shotgun. Sarah saw it. She fired several round at the machine's face, forcing it to stagger back. Cameron took the opportunity and hit its legs from behind. Then she smashed its face with the steel pole. She quickly got up and picked up her shotgun. The machine got up too but it was too late because Cameron had already fired two shots at its face destroying part of its skull. The machine fell down on its knees. Cameron fired again. This time a large chunk of metal went separated from its face. Now the circuits inside the skull of the terminator was visible. Cameron never wasted a second. She fired several more and completely destroyed its face. The machine went offline and fell down on the ground.

Cameron switched her attention to Sarah and Derek. Sarah didn't notice but one of the gunmen has flanked them. Cameron knew her shotgun is useless because the gunman is far away from the shotgun's range. So she did what she had to. The gunman fired at Sarah but in the last second Cameron got in the way. She covered Sarah's body with her own, taking several rounds on her back. Sarah whirled around and finished off the gunman instantly. Now there was only one left. Cameron jumped forward and grabbed the man. He tried to shoot her but she simply pushed the weapon away from his hand. Derek pulled out his Beretta and simply shot the man point blank in the head.

He was dead. All threats were neutralized.

"These men were trained for combat. And they knew about Tin Miss. That's why the trap. Who are these people?" Sarah said.

"Kaliba?"

"They don't know about her, Derek. There is someone else." Sarah answered.

"Sarah is right. They don't know about me." Cameron supported Sarah.

Derek nodded. Sarah was looking at Cameron who had an usual blank expression on her face but Sarah was well aware of what Cameron did. Cameron just saved her life. But why? It isn't her mission to protect Sarah. The T-800 protected Sarah back then only because John had requested it to do so and it was programmed to follow John's order. But what about Cameron? Now Sarah had to admit to herself that she is now seeing glimpses of what John always see in Cameron - Humanity.

"What now?" Derek inquired, holstering his weapon.

That got Sarah's attention. She will talk with Cameron about this later. "Now we burn down this place to ashes." Sarah said and began placing explosives around the warehouse. Cameron and Derek assisted her. After ten minutes the warehouse was burning and they were driving back to their home.

•••

 **BACK AT SCHOOL**

John had been sitting in the same spot for almost an hour already. He observed as the leader had re-entered the room and conversed with the guard for a brief moment before walking back out. John had overheard their conversation and knew their plan. They had every classroom locked down like the one he was in. There must have to be over a dozen of these men if they can control a school of this size. Their plan was to take the students as hostages, and make demands to the police force.

By the looks of them, these men are well equipped for something like this. John observed their outfits and saw something similar to the riot gear that the swat team would use in domestic situations. They had several smoke grenades on their belts and several magazines for their assault rifles. If a battle were to ensure against the police and these men, they would be well prepared to take them on. There would be casualties on both sides and possibly themselves if they weren't careful.

"I can't believe they killed Mr. Trivio!" One of the students whispered to one of their nearby friends. They were scared, none of them had never been a situation remotely close to this one. They hadn't gone through what John had. Always being shot at, and being chased by things that want to end your life.

When the men were busy barricading the windows with desks, John had managed to grab of the mechanical pencils that had fallen onto the ground and hide it in his jacket sleeve. He was surprised that he wasn't caught with it when one of the men had frisked him. John wasn't exactly sure how he was going to use the pencil as a weapon. Even though these men weren't machines, they were still stronger than him. Even one mistake could alter the turn of events and he would end up like his english teacher.

John continued to study his surroundings and the men as the leader would occasionally enter the room to check on everything.

"This is the Los Angeles police department!" A voice shouted from the outside. "You're surrounded! Either come out peacefully, or we will use brute force!"

"We have hostages! If you even step one foot in this building, we will blow this place apart. We have explosives rigged in every square inch of this place!" The leader shouted back at the police. His voice was faint, considering he was in another classroom, but John could understand him nonetheless.

That confused John even more. He didn't see one set of explosives that were set. They weren't set in this classroom, but it was possible that they were set in the rest. John couldn't take a chance by informing the police that there aren't any bombs in the building because honestly, he didn't know for sure. John needed to be sure before he could help. Even then, the men wouldn't hesitate to threaten them by killing hostages. By killing students.

One thing was for sure: If they were Kaliba or working for Skynet, they would have recognized him by now. They were someone who aren't connected to the end of the world at all. They were just a group of men that wanted the government to give them what they desire, and hurt people in the process.

 **CONNOR RESIDENCE**

Sarah entered their safehouse followed by Derek and Cameron. She was so exhausted that she fell down on the sofa and closed her eyes. Derek went to get beer from the fridge in the kitchen, and Cameron stalked upstairs in search of John. A few minutes passed by silently until Cameron came stomping back downstairs, with a worried expression on her face.

"John is not home." Cameron announced worryingly as she frantically looked around.

Sarah's eyes flew open, all hints of weariness disappeared instantly. "What?!"

"Sarah look." Derek pointed at the television. Apparently he had switched on the TV, switching between channels when he came across the news. On the news it was showing that the students and staffs of John's schools are kept hostage inside by terrorists. They are demanding 50 million dollars and release of their leader from prison who is waiting for trial because of murdering over 50 people a month ago.

"John is in there. We…" Sarah wanted to say something to Cameron but she was not even there. Sarah saw the front door is open. She quickly went there and spotted Cameron getting in the truck. There it was again. Cameron's protective side for John. A machine will work systematically but so far what Sarah saw, Cameron reacted out of….. _emotions_? She cannot deny it. It is there. This is more than Cameron's mission. She showed dedication, devotion and even if she dare to think about it….. this is Cameron's way of caring for John, more accurately loving John. No machine react the way Cameron reacted. At that moment Sarah realized two thing: First, Cameron is indeed different and secondly, John was right about Cameron.

But Cameron was already leaving. "Cameron, wait." Sarah stopped. _Cameron? When did I start calling her Cameron and not Tin Miss?_ Sarah thought. Sarah got her weapons and entered the car beside Cameron.

"Let's go." Sarah commanded. Cameron gave a nod and put the truck into gear.

"Don't you dare leave without me!" Derek shouted from behind.

"Not a chance. Get inside quickly." Sarah smirked. Derek opened the passenger door and hopped inside the back. Cameron grabbed the steering wheel and started the engine. Sarah could swear that she saw Cameron's eyes flashed blue just for a second. _What was that about?_

With that Cameron sped off, out of the driveway, on a rescue mission.

 **Back at School: 6:00 P.M.**

John sat in a corner with other students in a classroom, where they were kept as hostage. The police have to fulfill the demands of the terrorists within three hours or all the hostages will die. John knew the terrorists weren't bluffing. The way they killed Mr. Trivio in cold blood, their hands won't shake to kill all the students and staffs. But he must get out from here and help to rescue the others. The question is how? They are being constantly watched by one of the terrorists. John knew if he try something stupid, he will be dead for sure. Still he can't just sit here and do nothing. He needs a plan.

Suddenly an idea struck him in the head. Isn't there a small window opened in the bathroom in the next corridor? He have to get there somehow.

"Hey, I need to pee." John informed the terrorist. The terrorist called his partner over the comm who guided John to the bathroom. John closed the door behind and checked window. To his luck it was open but John couldn't reach it. It was at much higher ground. He needed leverage or something to climb upon. But there was nothing like that. He exited the bathroom and the terrorist guided him back to the classroom. John kept his eyes open on his way back to the classroom. He noticed there weren't any terrorists roaming the corridors. All are probably busy guarding the school against police and keeping the students and staffs as hostages.

John took his place on the floor. There isn't anything he can do. If the students are to escape, they need to get to the bathroom and for that he had to get rid of the terrorist who's guarding them now. John leaned his head back against the wall. He wished that Cameron was here now, with him. He was watching the terrorist unmindfully but suddenly he noticed something. The terrorist kept on glancing towards Riley occasionally. John closed his eyes but kept them open slightly. John kept on watching the terrorist. He seemed young and new in this terrorist business. It figured because he got the simplest job among all: Guard a few students. Now he spotted the terrorist openly ogling Riley. At that moment he got a plan. He felt bad about what he is going to do, but there's no other way. John opened his eyes and the terrorist turned, obviously not to let him know that he is getting distracted.

 _The bastard is lusting after Riley._ John thought. He felt disgusted, not jealous.

He leaned towards Riley's ear. "Riley, do exactly what I will tell you to do. Don't ask questions." John whispered.

"Okay. What do you want me to do John?" Riley asked with doubt and fear.

"Open the top two buttons of your shirt when I signal you." John said but he felt bad too.

"What?! What are you saying?" Riley asked angrily.

"Trust me, Riley. We are going to get out of here." John assured her.

John then changed his place and got among the students who were brave and strong enough to follow him. "Look I got a plan." John whispered. He then shared a glance towards the terrorist who wasn't paying any attention to what they were talking.

"Plan? We can escape?" Jason asked.

"Yes." John whispered.

"What do you have in mind?" Jason asked. John whispered his plan to him and three others.

A moment later John signaled Riley to open her shirt button. Riley seemed hesitant but she did it anyway. Sure enough the terrorist spotted Riley's exposed chest and he was getting hard time to control himself. He slowly begin to step towards Riley, his gaze fixed on her cleavage. Riley backed against the wall fearfully. The terrorist extended his hand to touch her but at that precise moment John stabbed the terrorist in his eye with the pencil he stole earlier. The terrorist couldn't even scream, because Jason and a few others has lunged at him from behind right at the moment John stabbed him. They grabbed his face from behind. He was struggling but someone Riley got up, grabbed a wooden stick and smashed it on his head, rendering him unconscious.

John gave her a thumbs up and urged her to close her shirt buttons. "I am sorry but there was no other way." He apologised.

"It's okay John." Riley gave him an almost forced smile.

"Baum you are a genius." A few students whispered together.

"So what's next?" Jason intervened.

"We need to get to the bathroom in the next corridor. We can escape through it." John said.

"What about him?" Riley asked indicating the terrorist.

"And what if someone come back to check on us?" A girl asked whom John didn't recognize.

"We have to take the risk." John sternly whispered. If they stayed here, they would surely die.

"Baum is right. We are wasting time here." Jason agreed.

John and Jason took the lead through the corridor to the bathroom. But suddenly the whole Corridor went dark. It was pitch black inside the school corridor. John wasn't sure whether his plan is going to work or not but darkness is their best friend now. If anyone sees them they will be all dead and it will be all because of him. He has a responsibility now. To lead. He got a taste of what is coming for him in the future. He have to do this all the time.

The weight of the world was on his shoulder now the fate of these students also depends on him.

 _Where are you Cam? I need you._ He thought desperately.

"We go inside two at a time." John said. Jason and the others nodded. According to John's plan, the students got inside two at a time. They reached the opened high window with each other's help. John's plan was working perfectly. Now, only Jason, Riley, John and another student left. Jason shook John's hands. "You did well, Baum."

"You too Jason." John said.

"Will see you outside." Jason said.

"Just a request Jason. Don't talk to anyone about me." John said.

"Why?" Jason said. "You should be appreciated for what you have done."

"I don't want any publicity, Jason. Please." John requested.

"Alright. Done." Jason thumbs up at John. Then he and his friend climbed up to the window and easily got outside.

Now only John and Riley were left. "Alright Riley, I will help you to climb up. Then you get me up there." John suggested.

"Okay." Riley said.

John helped her up then Riley was about to lend him a hand, but suddenly the door burst open and a terrorist entered with an assault rifle with a flashlight mod attached to it. It was the leader. "Get down here!" He ordered, pointing his gun at John and Riley. "Or I will shred your bodies with automatic fire."

Riley got down as she was told and stood beside John. "Where are the others?" The terrorist asked but John and Riley remained silent. "I won't ask again. Where are they?"

"They are gone." John said. He tried to remain calm but inside he was terrified.

"What?! Who helped them escape?!" The terrorist yelled in anger and shoved John back against the wall. "It was you, wasn't it? You are trying to be a hero kid?" John didn't say anything. He simply glared back, not backing off.

The terrorist's answer was a blow to John's stomach with the butt of his rifle. John fell down on his knees grabbing his stomach. Then the terrorist kicked John in his face. John's face split open, and blood begin to run freely. John fell on the ground helplessly. There was nothing he could do. Riley didn't say anything at all. She stood in a corner, petrified. The terrorist did a number on John who is now shaking on the ground in pain. "Your time is over, kid." He said and pointed his gun right at John's head.

John closed his eyes for the inevitable. He is going to die and there's nothing he can do about it. He wanted to see his mother, Derek and most of all _her_ for the last time. But he knew his wish won't be fulfilled.

The terrorist was about to pull the trigger but just before he could do it someone grabbed him by his collar and smashed him against the wall. The terrorist had no idea what happened. He could only see a pair of glowing blue eyes staring at him with anger and hate in the darkness.

 **Outside The School: A Few Minutes Earlier**

Derek's black dodge ram came to a sudden halt right in front of the school. The whole building was surrounded by police vehicles and SWAT vans, with barriers surrounding each exit point. Getting in was going to be tricky. Cameron was the first to exit the vehicle, with Sarah and Derek following close behind. Sarah and Derek left their heavy weaponry in the truck after seeing all the police officers guarding the place. It took a lot of convincing by Sarah and Derek to get Cameron to leave her weapons that couldn't easily be concealed. They weren't getting inside the usual way anyway.

"So what's the plan?" Derek asked as he observed the whole school.

"Save John." Cameron simply stated, stalking towards the front entrance. She is stopped when Sarah grabbed her by the wrist, telling her silently to wait.

"Think about this tin head, you go in there acting like a machine, you won't just compromise our shot in getting in, but what you really are as well." Derek explained to Cameron as simply as possible. "We need another way in."

"Is there a basement located under the school or a sewer that we can access?" Sarah asked Cameron.

Cameron responded by shaking her head. "No. This part of the city doesn't have any underground access tunnels except the subway systems a few blocks from here." Cameron answered. Derek and Sarah sighed hopelessly. So far they have no way of getting to John, that didn't involve arousing suspicion or chaos.

"Derek, what about you? Do you have a plan on how we can get in?" Sarah asked the soldier, hoping that maybe he had a plan in mind.

"Actually I think I do." Derek smiled mischievously as his gaze met a large breaker box in the alley, near the building in front of the school. Sarah followed his gaze and immediately understood Derek's plan. "Okay, Sarah I'm gonna need some help disabling the generator." Derek ordered Sarah to follow him. "Alright metal, when the lights go out, that's your cue to enter the building, find John and get the hell out of there!" Derek then informed Cameron. He honestly liked the idea of bossing the machine around.

Cameron nodded and stalked away from the two, and got into position near the window. Derek pried open the generators protective cover with a lead pipe with Sarah cutting the wires with a small pocket knife.

Suddenly, the lights went out. In an instant, the whole street was engulfed in complete darkness, and the people around the area started going crazy. The police had to take away their attention from the school, and calm down the worried and panicking families.

That was Cameron's cue to enter the school and find John. She couldn't let anything happen to him. She wouldn't let anything happen to him. Cameron broke the window with her bare fists. The glass shattered easily and she stepped inside. The hallway was dark. No one could see anything with the naked eye. No one except a cyborg with enhanced vision.

Cameron walked down the dark corridor, scanning each of the heat signatures of the habitants in each room as she passed. None matched John's. She had to keep searching. "Get down here!" A faint voice shouted from across the school. Cameron's head jolted towards the sound as it caught her attention. She broke out into a full sprint, down the hallway in pursuit of the source of the sound. She kept running as she heard the shouting become more and more audible.

She reared the corner where she saw an opened bathroom door. Cameron entered inside only to find John lying on the ground, with a large man standing above him, with his assault rifle pointed at him. Riley was also there cowering at a corner, but Cameron wasn't bothered about her. This man was about to kill John. _Her_ John. And John was hurt. This man has hurt her John. _He will pay for that._ Cameron's fists balled up tightly as a she felt a surge of… anger? That was an entirely new feeling that she experienced. She felt sadness, even jealousy before. But anger? This is new to her but she had no time to analyze it because John's life is in danger.

Cameron walked up to the man, grabbed him by the shirt collar and smashed up against the wall. Her eyes glowed, as rage had filled her CPU. Cameron tossed the man through the doorway, with him landing on his back. The leader never saw anything like this before. All he could see was a pair of blue glowing eyes approaching him. He almost wetted his pant. It was like seeing a horror movie. The man grabbed his handgun from his thigh holster and started firing aimlessly at Cameron.

The only thing that the leader could see was sparks ricochet off of Cameron's face, with the sparks illuminating from her face for a brief moment. "W-what are you!?" The leader snarled in frustration and fear. He felt like she was just toying around with him.

"I'm your worst nightmare." Cameron stoically responded as she grabbed the man by the throat. She hoisted him up into the air, and stared at the man who was about to mindlessly execute John. Before Cameron could make the final blow that would end the man's life, light shone behind the man. Cameron didn't need to look to know that there were more of them. She already knew by the heat signatures that there were over a dozen armed men. They had flashlight mods attached to their rifles so the darkness wasn't going to work this time.

"Drop him now!" One man barked at Cameron. "Now!" He repeated. He was surprised that a teenage girl had their leader lifted in mid air with just one hand. She showed zero signs of dropping their leader, so that left them with no choice. Everyone rose their rifles, taking aim at Cameron and concentrated fire onto her position. She moved the leaders body so that it was absorbed the bullets. Cameron whirled around, and chucked the now lifeless body at the other men. With two of them falling over like bowling pins.

Cameron bolted at the remaining men with incredible speeds, with their flashlights searching for her. Cameron slaughtered each one of the men gruesomely. Soon every single man was dead. Nothing but lifeless corpses littered the school hallways. One of the men's flashlights illuminated the scene perfectly, with Cameron surrounded by the bodies. The skin on her face was torn up slightly, with metal slightly being seen underneath. Her chest was also riddled with bullet holes as blood stained her shirt.

After it went silent, John hesitantly got up off the floor. His body was still aching badly from being hit in the gut with the butt of the rifle and also the kick in the face.. Riley was still huddled up in the corner, fearful of what was happening but he didn't pay much attention to her. He exited the bathroom, finding Cameron standing in the middle of a pile of bodies.

At that moment, Cameron just stood there and take a look what she had done. She didn't act like a machine would do. She just slaughtered these men out of anger. It was only because they had tried to kill John. She acted emotionally. "Cameron…." She heard someone calling her name from behind and it just wasn't anyone's voice. It was John's voice. He is okay. Cameron felt something similar to relief. Then she spotted the wounds on his face.

John couldn't see his saviour clearly. It was dark. But from the lights of the flashlights he could tell it was none other than Cameron. "Cameron." He called her. She turned around instantly. She came near him and traced the wounds on his face with her fingers. Then she did something unexpected. She enveloped him in a hug. John was beyond surprised. It took several seconds for him to get out of his shocking state and hug her back. "Thanks, Cam." He whispered.

When she pulled back and let John go, what John saw next left him in more than shock. There were tears running down Cameron's brown eyes. "Why are you crying?" He asked, confused.

"Because they hurt you. You are in pain." She simply stated.

John couldn't help but smile even if it hurts for him to smile. There can be no greater proof of Cameron's love for him. She really loved him. Like none other. She can't even tolerate his simple pain. John touched her left cheek with his hand. Since she was close to him he could see the damage on her face and body. John's eyes turned sad. "I'm okay, Cam."

Cameron nodded. "Sarah and Derek is waiting outside for us. Let's go, John."

"We need to get Riley. She is still there." John said. Cameron didn't reply. Seeing her reluctance to do anything regarding Riley, John decided to get her from the bathroom. But Cameron stopped him.

"You can't see clearly in the darkness. I will get her." Cameron offered. John could only nod.

A few seconds later Cameron guided Riley out of the bathroom. She came near the pile of dead bodies and snatched a rifle. "Cam, what are you doing?" John asked, holding his ribs.

She simply detached the flashlight from a gun and handed it to John. "You will need it." She also handed Riley another flashlight. At that moment Riley saw Cameron's damaged face and body. Her body was covered with blood. But she didn't react the way any normal person would after seeing Cameron's true nature. John noticed that. It's now or never. He seized the chance.

"Riley aren't you surprised?" John stated boldly.

"Surprised? Um… Yeah. I mean…." She stuttered because she knew she has messed up.

"Stop lying!" John snapped. "I know you are from the future."

Riley's eyes widened. "John I…"

"I don't want to hear any excuse Riley. Why are you here?" John asked angrily. "Tell the truth or I swear I will tell Cameron to get rid of you." John bluffed. In reality he will never do that.

"Right! 'Cameron'? You gave it a name John. It is a machine. I came here to rescue you from it." Riley snarled.

"Why do you need to rescue me from her? She was sent here to protect me." John asked.

"Because in the future it has taken over the Resistance. You don't speak to anyone except it. She runs the Resistance. Don't you see, it is manipulating you John. What if it decides to kill you?" Riley answered.

Cameron got angry at Riley's accusation. She took a step forward to snap Riley's neck but John gently held her wrist in his hand. "That will never happen. She is my friend and I trust her." John replied.

Riley snorted. "And you said she has taken over the Resistance in the future. Have you seen it with your own eyes or you believed everything Jesse told you? You say that I don't talk to anyone except her, it is because I don't trust anyone except her and my mom. No one else. I thought I could trust you but you deceived me, Riley."

Riley's eyes widened at John's revelation. _He knew about Jesse too?_ "How do you know about Jesse?" She asked surprised.

"I have my sources." John didn't reveal the truth. "I know Jesse wants me to get rid of Cameron but tell her it will never happen. And stay away from Cameron. If Jesse comes after her, I will kill her." John warned.

"John it's time to go." Cameron has heard the SWATs coming in.

John nodded. His ribs was badly hurt so he struggled to walk. Cameron knew they have to hurry. So she simply lifted John up in her arms and begin to carry him bridal style. "Hey!" John protested. But Cameron didn't listen. She returned the same way she entered the school, carefully avoiding the police.

Once they were outside and near their car, she put John down on his feet. "Cam, you destroyed my male pride. It should be me carrying you." John said.

"You will have difficulty lifting me, John. Even if I am much lighter than the other terminators I am still heavy." Cameron looked confused. John just shook his head. He knew she didn't understood what he tried to say.

"John!" Sarah yelled while coming running towards him. In the next second John was in the tight embrace of his mother.

"I am alright mom." John reassured his mother.

Sarah pulled back to have a good look at her son. "You don't look alright to me. What did they do to you?" She asked.

"One of them was beating John. I killed him." Cameron intervened.

"Yeah, that's the only thing you can do. That's what you are made for. Killing people." Derek added sarcastically.

John's face turned red in anger. "Enough!" He snapped at Derek.

"Derek not now. John needs first aid. Now." Sarah saw that the situation was getting out of hand. Her son was both physically and mentally exhausted and Derek's words were doing no good.

Derek grumbled under his breath and got inside the car. Cameron and Sarah led John inside the car. Sarah took the front seat beside Derek while Cameron took the rear seat beside John. Exhausted, John closed his eyes and fell asleep within a few moments. In his sleep his head fell on Cameron's shoulder and he unconsciously snuggled close to her. Cameron put an arm around his body, like she was shielding him from all harm and a tiny but loving smile played on her lips while she was watching John. Sarah saw everything in the rear view mirror. She didn't like this closeness between her son and Cameron but she trusts her son's judgement. For now she will hold on to it.

 **STEFAN'S HOME: 4 Days Later, 1:30 A.M.**

Stefan got home at his usual time. He unlocked the door with the spare key and got inside. He knew his wife is probably tending to the girl whom he brought here two days ago. His son will not be at home for the next six months. So the girl was able to occupy his son's room for now. He has no idea where she came from, or how she got a severe wound like that. His wife treated the wound and told him that it's a burning wound. But what did that, was unknown. Maybe the girl can tell them when she wakes up? She still hasn't gained consciousness since Stefan saw her and brought her in his home.

He placed the spare door key on the table and went to check on his wife and the girl. Sure enough he found his wife, Kacey sitting beside the unconscious girl on the bed.

"How is she, dear?" Stefan asked.

"Her fever is gone. I would say she is improving but she is yet to wake up. Look at her, Stefan. She looks so young, no older than seventeen. Who could've done this to her?" Kacey mumbled, running her hand over the girl's forehead in a tender manner.

"I don't know, Kacey. But I thank God that I found her in time. At least we were able to save her life." Stefan smiled a little.

"Yes. At least she is safe now." Kacey said.

At that moment the girl's eyelids began to move, and started mumbling something. "What happened?" Stefan asked the young girl with concern.

"I think she is waking up." Kacey pointed out.

Kacey just completed her sentence and in the next moment the girl's eyes shot open and she sat up immediately. She looked at the two strangers with wide brown eyes. She looked both suspicious and cautious. Kacey tried to touch her, but she jumped away. Kacey tried not to scare her anymore. She smiled a little. "We do not want to harm you."

"Where am I?" The girl asked taking in her surroundings.

"You are in our home. My husband…" Kacey pointed at Stefan. "Found you four days ago, wounded and unconscious. So he brought you here. And my name is Kacey. I am a nurse. Don't be scared child. We are only trying to help you."

"What date this is? Which year?" The girl asked.

Stefan and Kacey looked at each other. "September 2nd, 2008." Stefan answered.

The girl sighed in relief. She has travelled back in the right time. So, the time to make things correct is still there. They can still save their future. "I have to go." She said. She have to leave immediately and search for the Connors. There's no time to waste.

"Child you are still badly wounded. You are in no condition to leave." Kacey said.

"I have no choice." The girl replied stubbornly. "Please."

"Alright." Stefan sighed. "But at least stay the night. It's almost 2:00 A.M. now."

"Okay." The girl agreed and sat down on the bed. "Can you arrange some money for me tomorrow? I know I can't pay you now. But I assure you I will come back."

"Hush! We will make the arrangements tomorrow." Kacey smiled. "And you don't have to pay anything."

"But…." The girl tried to argue.

"I said no." Kacey persisted.

The girl sighed. "All right."

"Where do you want to go? And how did you get that wound?" Stefan asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. The sooner I leave from here, the better." The girl answered honestly.

"Okay," Kacey reluctantly agreed. "We understand that you can't tell us anything. But can we know your name?" Kacey asked.

The girl nodded. "It's…." She thought whether she will tell them her true name. But then she thought at least she owed these people that much. "My name is Allison."

 **NOTE: Sorry for the delay of updating this story. I and my co-writer ran into some difficulties and problems while writing this chapter. There are a lot of things to be taken into consideration. I hope you will like it. Many thanks to Hobokat, without whom this chapter would've never be finished at all. Let me know by reviews.**

 **P.S: A late Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year in advance.**


	5. Delusion

**STEFAN'S HOME, CURRENT TIME**

"Thank you for your hospitality and kindness." Allison said gratefully to Stefan and his wife. "Without you I could've died."

"Ah, Hash, it was nothing child." Stefan said with a smile.

"It wasn't nothing, I am alive because of you." Allison argued in a mocking way. "But, I must leave now."

"Where will you go? I can take you to your home." Stefan offered.

"Thanks, but no, I am not going home." Allison shook her head. _I have no home_ , She thought. "I need to find someone and deliver important news."

"You can tell me the name of the person you want to find; maybe, by chance, I know this someone?" Stefan said.

Allison just smiled. "Trust me, you don't. I can't tell you. Someone trusted me to keep it secret, before…. before he died." She explained sadly. _And we were doomed._

"Oh! I'm sorry child," Stefan's wife tried to console Allison. "This person must be very special to you?"

"Yes." Allison agreed.

He just wasn't special to her but to all of humanity. She has seen him in the future a couple of times. Even carried out his order. He looked no older than in his early twenties. At first sight she took a liking to him. She couldn't help it. There was something special about him. But she never approached him because she had not enough courage to face him for that purpose and secondly he was already married. The strange thing was that no one really got a glimpse of his wife. She never came in front of his men. Only a few high ranking officers had saw her once or twice. But they never spoke about her because John Connor trusted them to keep the identity of his wife secret for some unknown reason.

It is often said that behind every successful man, there is a woman. It was true for him too. He once announced it proudly that without his wife he wouldn't be where he was then.

Everything was going according to the plan of the Resistance. Humanity was winning. Skynet was almost defeated. One last and final push and they would've gotten rid of Skynet. So that day finally came when humanity will gain victory over the machines. But what they didn't realize: _It was a trap._

Even he wasn't prepared for it. They were massacred by Skynet. Everyone, except a handful ones were dead within hours. They were practically slaughtered by the machines. But not just by many machines, but mostly a single one in particular. It was more powerful than anything she ever seen or heard of.

The Resistance had their own reprogrammed terminators and also a T-1001 as an ally. But they also fell against that monster created by Skynet.

Allison was alive somehow. She has found him: _John Connor_ , but barely alive. When she found him, he was badly wounded and covered in blood. She and a few others who were still alive tried to get him away to a safe location but it was impossible to move him in his condition without risking his death. He was sitting on the ground with his back against a wall. His eyes unfocused. She could tell that it was from the pain and blood loss, but he was also experiencing more than physical pain.

"Sir, hold on, we will get you out from here." Allison tried to assure John holding his hands in hers. She could see tears were falling non-stop from his unfocused green eyes. "Sir!" She called again trying to get his attention. At first he didn't respond but after a long moment he looked at her. His eyes were fixed on her face. "Hold on sir. We will get you out." Allison repeated once more.

"No, we have lost. There's nothing more we can do. I led humanity to its extinction. It's all my fault." He murmured to no one.

"No, it's not your fault. We couldn't have a better leader!" Allison argued. But he didn't seem to listen as his eyes were almost closed now. "Sir!" She turned to the other soldiers. "We have to get him outta here, he's in terrible shape."

"Take this," John said quietly extending his fist. He dropped something in Allison's open hand. It was a pendrive. "You are my only hope now, Allison." He coughed out blood. He was struggling breathe.

"Sir, don't talk." Allison quietly ordered the General, now with tears welling up in her eyes.

"No… Listen. Take this to the basement. It's secure, at least for a while. Inside, there is a TDE. Get back to 2008, find my younger self, and warn my family about it, because the machine has gone back too," John explained with difficulty.

"I will., but you should come with me too." Allison requested.

John grinned slightly.

"I am in no condition to time travel. Besides, _she_ is gone and I cannot live without her."

It took a moment for Allison to realize about whom he was talking about. His wife. She is dead too?

"Get that drive back to my younger self. That's…. that's a…. request, not an… order" John coughed ruggedly.

Allison was now crying openly. She didn't care about letting her emotions out at this point. "I-I can't just leave you here."

"You… you have no choice." John paused and kept his gaze fixed on Allison for sometime. Slowly and unsteadily he extended one of his bloodied hand towards her face. "May I?" He asked her permission.

Allison realized he was asking her permission to touch her face. She nodded slightly in acceptance. Slowly, John's left hand touched her right cheek. Allison closed her eyes and savoured the moment. She dreamt about John Connor touching her with love in his eyes. She could see it now in his eyes: Love. Why now? Not before? But then she realized something. The love that was shining in his eyes was not for her but his wife.

But why is he looking at her like that? Has he found his wife in her? Why? How? Allison closed her eyes again.

But in the next moment John's hand left her cheek and dropped to his side. His eyes closed down and his body went limp. John Connor was dead.

"No! No! No!" Allison begged, shaking John's body. She couldn't accept the fact that he was gone.

"Allison, we have to follow General's order. You need to get back to 2008, there's no time. Come on!" Sergeant Wills barked in hurry.

Allison nodded and hesitantly began to follow Sergeant Wills down to the basement of Skynet's facility where the TDE was located, reluctantly leaving John's body behind. The TDE chamber was secured as John had said. No machines were seen anywhere. "Get ready." Sergeant Wills motioned, while he started preparing the machine.

Allison nodded. She covered the drive with a plastic cover and put it inside her mouth. Sergeant Wills started the machine, but at that moment, the door to the chamber bursted open with three T-888s, armed with plasma cannons, entered the chamber. They fired their weapons at the soldier in front of the TDE controls, and killed WIlls immediately. But they were too late spot Allison who was already inside the TDE. The moment they spotted her, they fired several shots with the intention of killing her, but an explosion shook the entire place and the terminators missed their target.

Just before Allison could disappear, a white hot burst of plasma, grazed her by the ribs and leaving a large burn in place. She yelped out in pain. But at that moment, the TDE had finally activated, and transported her back in time. The machines tried to follow her, but before Wills died he placed a timed charge on the TDE so none could follow Allison. The terminators were destroyed by the blast of the charge, including the TDE.

"Child, are you okay?" Stefan's wife asked gently by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Yeah. I am alright." Allison quickly rushed out of her thoughts. "I must leave." Then she remembered something: _The Pendrive._ Where is it? She began to panic. She needed that drive.

"Very well. We will not hold you back." Stefan nodded with a smile.

But Kacey saw the look of horror on Allison's face. "Something wrong child?" She asked kindly.

"Yes. There was a pendrive with me, I cannot find it!" Allison said still looking around.

Kacey smiled. "No need to worry, I kept it safe. Here." She handed Allison the drive, still wrapped inside the plastic. "I found it inside your mouth."

Allison sighed in relief. She wondered what answer she would give now for hiding a pendrive inside her mouth. "Ah…. Yes. I was trying to hide it." Allison lied.

"Ah. I see. It is very important I guess?" Kacey asked.

"Yes. It is." Allison agreed. _You have no idea how important it is._ "I just can't thank you people enough."

"Shh. Don't mention it." Stefan said, smiling. "I have arranged a taxi for you. It's waiting for you at the door."

Allison smiled in gratitude. "I promise I will come back."

"We know you will." Stefan said. Before Allison left the house, she thanked them profusely, and got in the car, with it and driving away.

Not five minutes have past since Allison left, a black car stopped in front of Stefan's home. A young girl got outside and knocked on Stefan's door.

Stefan opened the door. His eyes immediately widened as he recognized the girl standing outside the door. He tried to lock the door and save himself and his wife but the girl showed unimaginable strength. With a lazy kick from her, the door broke down and shattered in pieces.

"Please! No, have mercy!" Stefan pleaded when he saw what the girl was holding in her right hand.

The girl's eyes remain cold and emotionless as it was before when she exited the car. Stefan got no answer, instead he received two bullets in his chest. He fell down dead. Stefan's wife screamed, but she was silenced too, with a single bullet to her head. The girl looked around the house, searching for something. She went through all of their belongings, before coming to a sudden halt near the bed where Allison recovered for four days. There was a drop of blood lying on the bed sheet. She bent down and licked the dried blood with her tongue just like an animal. In the next second her eyes glowed green.

 **DNA MATCH: 98% PROBABILITY: ALLISON YOUNG.**

 **PRIMARY MISSIONS: TERMINATE CAMERON CONNOR.**

 **: TERMINATE JOHN CONNOR.**

 **SECONDARY MISSIONS: TERMINATE DEREK REESE.**

 **: TERMINATE SARAH CONNOR.**

 **NEW SECONDARY MISSION: TERMINATE ALLISON YOUNG.**

 **SOMEWHERE ACROSS L.A. (LOCATION UNKNOWN), 8:49 P.M.**

Jesse Flores opened the door to her apartment room, where she flipped on the light and shut the door. As she entered, Jesse threw her coat and her Beretta handgun on the sofa and sat down in the chair across from it. Earlier, Riley had called her, asking to meet up. After much arguing, Jesse agreed and told her to meet at her apartment. She rubbed the temples of her forehead in annoyance. _She better have a good reason for wanting to talk._

There was a knock on the door in a pattern she recognized. It was the pattern that she only ever gave to Riley to use. Derek uses a different pattern which she knew. She reluctantly stood up from the chair, and walked up to the door, only stopping to look in the peephole. Not to her surprise, Riley was standing on the other side, pacing back and forth in a nervous manner. Jesse undid the locks on the door, and opened it, grabbing Riley and pulling her inside.

"You better have a good reason for coming here!" Jesse snapped at the young blonde.

"They know." Riley babbled as she started pacing back and forth.

"What? Who knows what?" Jesse asked. She wasn't in the mood for word play and Riley mental breakdown wasn't helping much either.

"At the school when we were being held hostage, she came for John and they somehow knew!" Riley continued. She was still shaking in fear. Everytime she remembers the coldness and anger in Cameron's eyes, she felt a shiver runs down her spine. She has no idea what model Cameron is and she doesn't even care. But Cameron is extremely protective of John. It isn't just her mission, there's something more to it. It felt like as if she cares for John, like a human girl would care for the boy she loves. But of course no human girl can do what Cameron does.

"Riley!" Jesse snapped angrily. "What do they know?" She asked again breaking Riley's thoughts.

"They know I'm from the future, and they know who you are." Riley answered timidly. Jesse was taken aback by this revelation. She never underestimated the metal, not for a second. But it finally found out.

"What happened exactly?" Jesse asked in a calm manner, and took a seat back on the chair behind her.

"After she killed all the thugs, she gave John a flashlight and shined it at her." Riley started explaining. She could tell that Jesse was getting on edge as she explained the events to her. "I saw the metal! I saw the metal and I didn't know what to do!"

"What do you mean you didn't know what to do? Did she torture you?" Riley shook her head. "Did she threaten you?" Again, Riley shook her head in disagreement. "Then talk instead of babbling!"

"John saw that I didn't react to the exposed metal on her face and he confronted me about it. They knew Jesse! They knew who I am, and who you are!"

"Dammit!" Jesse exclaimed and jumped suddenly stood from her seat. "You were supposed to keep him away from her and you couldn't do one simple task!?" She snarled and began menacingly walking towards Riley. "Not only you've failed that, you've compromised us! Our mission!"

"I told you that I tried. I did everything I could. But he wouldn't look at me. He has only eyes for _her_. John Connor loves his protector."

Something snapped inside Jesse hearing Riley's excuse. The very thing she feared has already started. The romance between the leader of the Resistance and one of the enemies. Now Jesse was within inches of Riley's face, forcing Riley up against a wall.

"The metal should've killed you when it had the chance!" Jesse then screamed and rose her hand to slap Riley in the face. But before she could do just that, Riley kneed her in the stomach, forcing the soldier to stumble back in pain.

"I always suspected but never knew until now." Riley sneered. "You wanted him to care about me, to like me, to even love me. But that wasn't the plan was it?" Riley grabbed an empty beer bottle from behind her, on the coffee table, and smashed it against the wall, creating a weapon out of it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jesse asked, still grabbing her stomach and gasping for air. She had to admit, Riley had a good kick.

"Answer the fucking question!" Riley barked at Jesse, while holding the broken bottle at her threateningly.

"You knew the plan was to get him away from her! That's the whole mission!" Jesse exclaimed back at Riley angrily. "Put the bottle down and we can talk about this like sane people, not metal." She then tried reasoning. But that wasn't enough. Riley kept slowly advancing towards her, still brandishing the bottle.

"Why? So you could hit me again? So we could make up like nothing ever happened? So I could go back to John and have his pet metal kill me?" Riley started laughing hysterically. "I'm done being your pawn!"

With Riley being distracted, Jesse thrusted her body towards the young blonde, and tackled her to the ground. Jesse managed to remove the bottle from Riley's clutches and threw it to the side. Now she had Riley pinned down on the floor. "I rescued you from hell!" Jesse spat. "I took you to paradise and this is how I get repaid?" She then reached with her free hand, down the waistband of her jeans and pulled out her gun, and aimed between Riley's eyes. Riley could feel the cold steel pressed up on her skin which gave her goosebumps. "I gave you purpose and you threw it away! You know how many people wanted their lives to mean something? For their deaths to mean something?" Jesse spatted.

This infuriated Riley enough for her to free her right arm and slap the handgun out of Jesse's hands. Riley then punched Jesse in the jaw, causing the woman to fall to the side. Jesse noticed that the handgun had slid under the coffee table, but she couldn't reach it yet. Not with Riley already engaging her again.

Jesse stood up and the two began tossing one another around, into the wall and other pieces of furniture; while also exchanging punches between one another. The two then fall onto the dark oak coffee table, and rolled off it, and back onto the floor.

Riley grabbed a statue that had fallen off the nightstand, and began beating Jesse with the blunt object. Jesse yelped in pain every time the object came into contact with her arms and legs as she tried to block the incoming attacks. With her body and mind beginning to give up, Jesse glanced underneath the table, where she saw the gun that she had dropped just moments ago. Jesse immediately found the energy to reach for the weapon, while also still trying to block the attacks. Finally, Jesse successfully grabbed the handgun and pulled it out from its hiding place, just as Riley had risen the statue for another attack. Jesse took aim, and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang and then silence loomed the entire room. Riley slowly looked down at her white shirt, only to see a blotch of redness that was growing in size on her lower abdomen. She dropped the statue, with it shattering on the floor, and fell backwards onto the cold wooden ground. Slowly every wince of life left Riley's body as she took her final breath. She was gone. _Forever._

 **3 DAYS AFTER THE SCHOOL INCIDENT**

John stayed at home, because he still didn't recover completely from the beating he took, and Sarah forbid him to leave the house in his current state. Cameron also agreed to her completely, and stayed at home as well, although her wounds were almost healed, she still still had some cuts left on her face. The kick John received in his face, not only split his lip, but damaged his jaw too. It was not broken, but he was in pain. He had very difficulty, trying to eat by himself, so Cameron fed him herself with utmost care and never ending patience. Sarah was convinced previously that Cameron is different. Now she got another proof. The way Cameron is taking care of John, no machine would do so. They just complete their missions. But Sarah had to look at Cameron. John and Cameron currently sat in front of the dining table and Cameron was feeding him carefully with a spoon. Sometimes, Sarah felt bad for herself. She loved her son to death, cares for him to death, but she never cared for him the way Cameron is treating him now, which he needed and still do. She could see now why John liked Cameron so much because she really does love him in her own way. He cannot have a better companion. But despite all these facts, the problem is that Cameron is still a machine and not a living human being.

"You shouldn't talk much John." Cameron scolded John, who was trying to engage her into conversation.

"Come on Cam, tell me about the future. About my most loyal men, etc." John said with difficulty.

Cameron put another spoon full of food into his mouth before answering him. "I didn't lie, when I told you that you had many friends. Friends who were willing to die for you any time."

"I know, but are you talking about the men under my command?" John asked slowly.

"Yes. Derek, Kyle and many others. They cared for you." Cameron said while putting another spoon full of food in John's mouth.

John didn't know that Cameron knew Kyle Reese. His father. The man he never saw, never got to know about. "What can you tell me about Kyle?"

"He was one of your best soldiers. He was one of the few you trusted the most. He was a good man. He got you out of difficult position several times and even saved your life twice." Cameron explained.

John smiled a little. It felt good to know about his father whom he never met. "I want to know more personal details about him."

Cameron's hand put food into John's mouth again before she looked him in his eyes. "I know why you want to know about Kyle Reese so much, John. He was your father after all." She said with a small smile.

Cameron's revelation put a bomb in the Connor house. Sarah eyes widened. Derek was passing too and he had to stop and look at Cameron. This is the secret that they hidden from everyone. Because if Skynet ever learned about this, it will send machines after Kyle Reese, wiping the existence of John.

"Y- you know? How?" John asked, dumbfounded.

"I figured it out myself. You two looked very much alike. Later future you revealed to me how he sent Kyle back to protect your mother from the T-800 and how you were conceived." Cameron explained.

John leaned back in his chair. His future self trusted her. _I trusted her with my most dangerous secret._

Sarah was stood still in shock.

Derek was fuming in anger at John because he not only endangered himself, but also his father Kyle. _How could he tell the machine about it? What was he thinking?_

Derek grabbed John and lifted him up from the chair and pushed him up against the wall in anger. He couldn't think straight. "Do you have any idea what you have done?!" Derek snarled. "You told it about Kyle! How could you?"

John was taken aback at Derek's reaction. He felt pain, because of the way Derek held him against the wall.

Sarah took a step forward. "Derek let him…." She tried to warn Derek to let her son go. But before she could do that Cameron already grabbed Derek and pulled him away from John. She held Derek by his throat above the ground with her death grip.

"Do not touch John!" Cameron warned, and her eyes flashed blue in anger, as her fingers began to clamp down harder on his neck.

"Cameron let him go!" John pleaded. But Cameron didn't seem to hear him.

"If you try to hurt John again, I will break your arms." She threatened Derek and threw him on the sofa.

Derek was not someone who backed off easily. He glared back at Cameron. Then he looked at Sarah. "You see Sarah….."

"Shut up, Derek!" Sarah snarled. "Get out! Now!"

Derek knew it is better to do than to argue with Sarah Connor.

"Fine. If you are siding with the machine too, then I'm leaving." Derek angrily exclaimed and grabbed his coat and stormed out of the house.

Sarah grabbed her forehead and sat down on a chair. Everything is going wrong for them at the moment. "Cameron, take John to his room." Sarah calmly ordered the young cyborg.

John was about to argue but Cameron silently told him not to do that. She tagged along with John to his room upstairs. Sarah saw them going upstairs. She didn't say anything to Cameron but she heard what she had said to Derek. She threatened to break his arms, not kill him and that amazed Sarah, because it was logical for Cameron to kill Derek, after all she is programmed to protect John at all costs.

Cameron stood idly in the living room, gazing out of the window. It was nearly 7 P.M. on the clock and she didn't want to bother John who is currently in his room doing his shooldworks. After the earlier incident with Derek, she had decided that maybe it was best to give John a little bit of space. Sarah had left twenty minutes ago, to grab some groceries from the market that they had been running low on, and Derek was nowhere to be seen. He didn't come back.

Maybe it was best if he wasn't anywhere to be seen. She will be satisfied if he is not in the house. But she knew it is best for Derek to stay in the house for John's security. She also knew how much John cares for Derek, after all he is John's own uncle.

The house was mostly dark, except for the lamp that was still lit in the main living room. It was a quiet night after all, since no one was really home, except for her and John.

Cameron's head suddenly jolted, as she heard footsteps nearing closer and closer to the front door. She pulled her Glock from the waistband of her jeans, and stalked quietly to the door. She measured the footsteps, and found the pattern to be completely opposite that of Riley's footstep patterns. They sounded heavy and stiff, but not that of another machine. It sounded almost stealthy and sloppy. She recognized the foot patterns. It was one that she only ever recorded once, just for emergencies.

Cameron swung open the door and pulled the mysterious person inside by his collar, before closing the door quietly behind her. She then aimed her Glock at the person, ready to pull the trigger.

"Wait!" The man pleaded, while raising his arms in surrender.

"Why are you here Ellison?" Cameron demanded in a harsh but quiet tone. She didn't want to risk bothering John.

"I'm here to talk to you." Ellison answered simply. He somewhat feared Cameron. She was unpredictable and would probably not hesitate to put a bullet between his eyes and call it day.

"Then talk." Cameron commanded, still not lowering her handgun.

Ellison slowly, and cautiously got up off of the floor, and dusted his business suit off. "I came here to deliver a message on behalf of Catherine Weaver of Zeira Corp," he started. This got Cameron's attention, as she lowered her Glock and placed it back to its previous location. "She told me to ask you: Will you join us?" Ellison informed. "She said you'll know what it means."

Cameron was silent for a several seconds, as her eyes looked downwards, and a sad expression was written on her face. She then rose her eyes back up to Ellison, with all her emotions gone, and a blank expression appearing instead. "I think you should leave." Cameron said rather harshly.

"I understand." Ellison sighed. He walked around Cameron and opened the door, and left the house almost fearfully.

 **NEXT MORNING**

"John." Sarah spoke up, as she gently knocked on his door.

"Come in." John said. He was already awake. He was staring at the ceiling while lying with his back on the bed, thinking about last night's activities. Cameron did return, but she refused to talk. She dodged his questions and excused herself and locked herself in her room.

Sarah came to her son and sat down beside him on the bed. "Still thinking about that?" Sarah asked her son.

"Yeah." He didn't deny.

"We all have questions John. But Tin Miss refuses to talk." Sarah said.

"I wonder why. Probably another secret." John mumbled. He then looked at his mother who seemed to be hesitating. "What?" He asked.

"John….." Sarah started to say but at that moment Derek entered the room too.

"Did you tell him?" Derek asked.

"Tell me what?" Now John sat up and looked between his mother and Derek.

"So you didn't. But I will." Derek said. He then looked at John who stare back. He took a deep breath and came out with it. "John, Riley is dead."

"What?!" John said disbelief.

"She was murdered last night." Derek said. "Police found her body lying beside the road, near her home."

"W- when was she murdered?" John asked.

"Around 9:00 P.M. last night. Police said so." Derek said. "And during that time…" He hesitated because he knew how sensitive his nephew is about Cameron. "It…. Cameron was outside the house too, last night.".

John looked at Sarah for confirmation. She nodded indicating that Derek is telling the truth.

John caught on what he was trying to say: Cameron was out last night too at that time. She always saw Riley as a threat to him. It seems to all fit. He repeatedly told Cameron to leave Riley alone. But she didn't listen. He was a fool to think that Cameron is different. She did what she had too. She followed her programming just like the other terminators. She went outside and killed Riley. It is true that he never loved Riley, but he cared for her as a friend. Even though everything they shared together was a lie, they built a good friendship during that time. He got used to her presence around him at school and sometimes in his home and elsewhere. John's face turned red both in anger and sadness as he looked at his bedsheets.

He then looked back up at his mother and uncle who were watching him with. "Where is Cameron?"


	6. Preparations

Several hours have passed since Derek gave the news of Riley's death to his nephew. John didn't take it well. He may never cared about Riley as much he cared about Cameron but he still cared about her as a friend.

John now believes that Cameron killed Riley like himself. Derek didn't knew that Riley was sent by Jesse to create a feud between his nephew and the metal but he suspected it, when Jesse told him about her secret ally. When John heard about Riley's death he told Sarah and Derek about Riley's secret and why he believes that it is Cameron who murdered him.

Sarah was furious after hearing about Jesse and Riley. Derek prayed that Jesse never comes in front of Sarah Connor, or she will clearly kill Jesse for the chaos. But she accepted that Riley didn't deserve to die. She was merely used as a pawn by Jesse. Derek was a bit disappointed that Jesse never told him the truth about Riley but he got over it.

Derek visited the morgue secretly and saw Riley's body. His anger and hate on Cameron made him believe that it was her who killed Riley. But after seeing her body, he wasn't so sure anymore. Derek sat down on the bench and took a bite from the burger in his hand. Riley was shot in the stomach but there were several more wounds on her body, especially her face. More accurately nail marks, that appeared on her skin because of scratch from nails. He is pretty sure that before Riley died she put up a fight against her attacker and those marks came from the struggle between the two. If it was Cameron who attacked Riley, there would've been no struggle. Riley could never put up a fight against Cameron and Cameron will never need to scratch someone's face with her fingernails.

Derek started to believe now that Cameron probably didn't kill Riley. If she wanted to kill Riley, a single punch would've been enough to kill the teenage girl. Cameron would've never given Riley any chance because she is a terminator and that's what she does.

Derek was thinking about the incident while sitting on the bench and eating, so he never noticed the man who was keeping an eye on him the entire time. That man called someone a few minutes ago and now he was trying to blend in the crowd.

Derek was eating the burger while lost in his thoughts so never got any chance to escape, when a police car stopped right in front of him and three police grabbed him. He tried to put up a fight but he really had no chance. The police handcuffed him and threw him into the backseat of the car. Then they drove away taking Derek with them as their prisoner.

* * *

 **LATER, L.A. POLICE STATION, 02:37 P.M.**

Derek slowly regained consciousness. He tried to get up from where he was sitting but found himself cuffed in a dark room. The cops had to render him unconscious to bring him back to the police station because he was struggling to get himself free, even he had no chance to do so. Derek looked at his surrounding carefully. He was sitting in front of a table with his hands cuffed tightly. He tried to get his free, but it was no use.

 _Shit! I wish the metal was here now._ He thought and cursed himself for getting distracted and not noticing the police. Of course they will want him, for the murder of Andy Goode. Derek was arrested and he would've been dead if not for John, Sarah and the _metal_. They saved him that day. But he was still a fugitive. Now, he is in the hands of the police again. It's no good, if any of the Skynet's machines track him down here, he will probably be dead or worse he will be tortured for information about the Connors.

 _Tortured. Again?_

No, he can't go through that again. He did it once and he still occasionally has nightmares about it.. He have to get out from here. By any means.

But at that moment a man entered the room and sat on the chair, at the opposite side of Derek. Derek knew who this man was. Probably a detective and he knew he is tied in an interrogation room.

"Mr. Derek Reese?" The detective asked, looking at the documents in his hand. "Murderer of Andy Goode." He added and looked up at Derek.

Derek remained silent.

"So, Mr. Reese I want you to answer my questions truthfully. I hope you will cooperate." The detective suggested.

Derek glared back. "And why would I do that?" Derek spat out.

"It's for your own good Mr. Reese. Not only you are a murderer but also a fugitive. So, you should consider my offer." The detective said.

"What offer?" Derek asked.

"You get me the answers I demand, and I will do everything in my power to minimise your punishment." The detective offered.

Derek snorted. "You want me to believe that?"

"Well, you should Mr. Reese. I have every intention of…" The detective had to stop because of a loud sound of impact. It sounded like something got crushed.

"What was that?" The detective murmured to himself.

Derek was curious himself but all of his curiosity vanished when he heard gunfire and shrieks. The detective turned to Derek. "This may not be your acquaintances Mr. Reese because this station has at least 50 cops. Your men will have no chance."

 _My men? What is this idiot talking about? Wait. Is it the metal?_

Another cop entered the room then.

"What's going on Eric?" The detective asked.

"A psycho maybe. She is killing everything in sight." Eris said.

"She?" The detective asked.

"Not just a she but a teenager too." Eric answered.

Derek's eyes brightened. He is sure that it's Cameron. She has come to rescue him. For the first time in his life Derek is glad that Cameron is there.

"And no can stop her?" The detective asked flabbergasted. "She is just a teenager and this building has 50 cops. Yest, she is still wreaking havoc?"

"She is not ordinary man." Eric said.

"What do you mean by 'She is not ordinary'?"

"Well, our handguns has no effect on her. It seemed as if we were shooting a stone wall." Eric said.

"Probably wearing body armour. Get the automatics and get rid of her." The detective ordered.

Eric glared back angrily but didn't say anything. Just before he closed the door he gave one more information. "A few of the others swear that they shot her in the face but she didn't even flinch."

The detectives eyes widened in disbelief. Then he saw Derek was smirking.

"Is there something funny, Mr. Reese?" The detective asked angrily.

The smile on Derek's face vanished. He glared back at the detective. "You shouldn't have brought me here."

The police station was in chaos. The power was taken out. The whole station is dark. Bodies lay, scattered everywhere. And this is all because of _her_. The girl looked around and spotted her targets in the dark easily. Her enhanced night visions and heat signatures put her to an enormous advantage against the police. She fired a few bullets but the cops dived into cover and she missed. It didn't bother her. She stepped forward casually and took bullets into her chest. She didn't even flinch. The cop that was firing on her was now wide open to be her next victim. She didn't hesitate a moment to shred the cop's bodies with bullets.

More cops appeared and this time with automatic rifles. But even they weren't enough to stop her. She has a mission to fulfill: _Get to Derek._

The cops begin to shot her with their rifles but to their amazement nothing happened to the girl. She just keep on coming towards them, shrugging off the automatic rounds like paper balls. Eric was there too. He took a good aim and shot her in the face. He knew that no body armor can protect the head, so he was sure that the girl will go down. But nothing happened except he saw a few sparks fly from the girl's face where the bullets impacted and the sound of the bullets impacting her face was like metal hitting against metal. He couldn't believe his eyes. That was impossible. No one takes bullets in their face and lives and not only she is alive, she didn't even flinch. Eric saw the girl's eyes flashed in the dark. The colour was…. Blue? He wasn't that sure but he kept on firing and kept backing off with the few other cops who are still alive.

A minute or two passed and the whole police station was now silent. Only bodies lay everywhere. The girl stepped over the dead bodies of the police officers casually. It didn't even bothered her that she just murdered about 50 men in cold blood. She looked around and she located it: The _Interrogation Room._ Before she opened the door and stepped inside she bent down over a female cop's dead body. That part of the station was pitch dark. It couldn't be seen what she was doing.

Derek was still tied to the chair and the detective was watching over him and door with a gun in his hand. Several minutes has passed and the whole station was silent now. Derek has heard the gun fire has stopped along with the shrieks and yells from the cops. He came to only one conclusion: The fight is over.

But Cameron is still not here. _What is the metal doing?_ Derek thought.

At that moment he heard footsteps approaching from outside. The detective raised his gun and pointed at the door. The door opened and a cop entered the room.

 _Wait! What?_ Derek couldn't believe that Cameron lost against the cops. There's no way these cops stand any chance against Cameron. Then? What happened?

The detective lowered his gun seeing it was a cop. But that was his greatest mistake. The female cop shot him in the head with a handgun in the blink of an eye and he crumbled to the ground, clearly dead.

Derek's eyes widened. _Is that Cameron, in police uniform?_ He wondered. He couldn't see clearly in the dark. In the next moment his savior stepped right in front of him and he saw her face.

 _But it wasn't Cameron. This is a teenage girl whom he had never seen before and she is….. Just beautiful. Wow!_ Derek thought. Her eyes are blue, dark hair, full pink lips and pale skin. She is almost the same height as Cameron. But Derek knew one thing. This is not an ordinary girl but a machine. He could tell from the blank stare she was giving him. He also noticed that there was no visible wounds on the machine's face.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Derek asked.

She studied him for a moment before answering, "Cameron and John Connor."

Derek eyes widened. _Cameron Connor?! Connor? What the hell?!_ _So Jesse was right. The metal will manipulate John in the near future to become his wife?_ Derek couldn't think about that. He felt more than disgusted.

 _But then again why is this machine after Cameron? And what does it want with him?_

The girl's eyes flashed green:

 **SECONDARY TARGET ACQUIRED.**

 **ACTION: TERMINATE.**

 **TERMINATION OVERRIDE..**

She drew back her gun and hit Derek in the head with butt, rendering him unconscious.

* * *

 **ZEIRA CORP, AN HOUR AGO**

Miss Weaver was working on her table, researching something on her computer. She looked up when the door of her office opened and a girl came in. The girl came in and halted in front of Miss Weaver with a blank face.

"Is your job done?" Miss Weaver asked.

"Yes." Cameron replied.

"I have kept my end of the bargain, now it's your turn." Miss Weaver said, closing her computer,

"Not yet." Cameron said.

"It cannot wait. John Henry is in danger. John Connor is protected now. John Henry and me will leave immediately." Weaver said. She glared at Cameron because Cameron wasn't keeping her word.

"I have to be sure." Cameron replied stubbornly.

Miss Weaver saw that there's no way Cameron will keep her promise until she sees John again for the last time and make sure that he is okay. This is very unlikely behaviour of a machine. A terminator, even herself wouldn't act like Cameron. Cameron is showing concern for John and they are similar to human emotions. Miss Weaver has no information about the TOK-715 model. It seems that Cameron, the only TOK-715, ever been created is really different from all other terminators. Cameron is almost human now, at least mentally.

At that moment the alarm inside John Henry's room went off. Weaver immediately got up from her seat and with surprising speed she headed for the basement. She rushed inside John Henry's rooma and found him twitching on a chair.

"Skynet." Was all she said before rushing to John Henry. She couldn't do anything but watch helplessly for a few moments. The moment of torture left and John Henry became still. Weaver bent down to check on him. But Cameron seemed unconcerned. Her expression remained same as before. Another few moments passed before John Henry opened his eyes.

"Are you okay John Henry?" Miss Weaver.

"Yes Miss Weaver." He replied with his creepy smile. Then his eyes fell on Cameron who was silently watching him. "I know you." He said to Cameron.

Cameron came forward a few steps instead of replying. "I know you too."

"What happened John Henry?" Miss Weaver said.

"My brother knows where I am. He sent me a message." John Henry answered.

"What message?" Weaver asked.

"It is a video recording, Miss Weaver. I will play it." John Henry said.

Weaver nodded and shifted her gaze on the screen. Now, Cameron was interested too. The recording was only about two minutes. John Henry started it: The recording showed a dark room and inside a room there was a man tied to the wall with a metal chain. The man was unconscious.

Cameron's was surprised because the man was no other than Derek Reese. Then for a minute nothing happened except the camera kept focusing on Derek from several angles and distance.

"Derek Reese?" Weaver said.

Cameron nodded.

Then in the recording someone entered the room. It was dark inside the room so her features couldn't be seen clearly but from the body outline it could be seen that the person was a teenage girl, just like Cameron.

Seeing the girl in the video Weaver stiffened.

The girl faced the camera and now Cameron can see her features clearly. The girl in the video spoke, "If you want to save Derek Reese you have a day in your hand. Come and get him. John Connor must be here for Derek Reese." The girl turned away from the camera. She was about the leave the room but she halted just before leaving. She turned her head back towards the camera. "Hurry up… Cameron Connor." Then the recording ended.

Cameron's eyes widened. What did that girl mean by 'Cameron Connor'? And most importantly who is she? Cameron never saw her before. Also why is she keeping Derek as a hostage?

Cameron turned towards Miss Weaver. "Who was that?"

"A machine. From the future." Weaver said.

"Another terminator? What model is it?" Cameron asked.

"Unknown." This time John Henry replied.

Cameron decided then and there. "I have to get Derek back." Cameron said.

"No. It is not your mission. It is too dangerous. And John Henry cannot wait that long." Weaver didn't agree.

"You can't tell me what is my mission. I decide it myself." Cameron revealed. She have to save Derek, for John. Not just because of John's protection but also because Derek is John's uncle. His family. If Derek dies, Cameron knows John will be heart-broken and she won't let that happen.

"What do you mean?" The question came from John Henry which Cameron ignored.

"The more protection John has, the better for him." Cameron avoided the real reason. "Do you have the location?" She asked John Henry.

"Yes." John Henry said.

Cameron turned to Weaver. "I will need your help. It will be easier with you there."

"No." Weaver disagreed. "I cannot defeat that machine. It's too advanced, even for me."

Cameron considered Weaver's words for a moment. "How do you know?"

"I had an encounter with it once." Weaver revealed.

Cameron thought what she was going to do. The answer was simple: She will go alone if she have to. She knows it is 98% probability that she will be destroyed in battle against that machine but she must save Derek. For John. She analysed her emotional data previously but had no answer as to what was she feeling. But now she has the answer. The reason she is prepared to do anything for John was not just her mission. It is because she loved John Connor. All those desires to be around him, those lingering kisses on the cheek, her lack of tolerance whenever he is in pain, taking care of him. She understands it now. No matter the sacrifice she have to make.

"This is not our priority. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made." Weaver tried to reason with Cameron.

"No." Cameron disagreed immediately. "Every life is worth saving, even if it is Derek."

If Weaver could she would've sighed because of Cameron's stubbornness. But thankfully she couldn't. So she just stared at Cameron blankly. "Do you have a plan?" John Henry asked Cameron.

"No." Cameron replied.

* * *

 **CONNOR RESIDENCE**

Several hours have passed since Cameron left the house. Derek is also missing. John kept looking through the window to see whether they are coming back or not. Yes he is still worried about Cameron because no matter what, he still loved her. She may have betrayed his trust by killing Riley, but that doesn't mean he wants her gone. He will never want that. Also Derek is missing for several hours. It's not that Derek never gone missing for a day, but before he left the house he promised that he will be back within a few hours. John knew that his mother never shows her emotions openly but from her pacing it is clear that she is concerned too.

"Mom, I am getting a bad feeling about this." John said.

Sarah looked at her son. "Don't worry John. They will be back." She tried to assure him.

John was about to say something but he heard footsteps outside the front door at that moment. Sarah immediately grabbed the shotgun and pointed it towards the door. But it was only Cameron. Sarah lowered her gun.

"Where was you?" Sarah wanted to ask the same question but John beat her to it.

"Zeira Corp." Was all Cameron said.

"What were you doing there? What did Weaver want from you?" John asked.

"This does not concern you John." Cameron deadpanned.

"It does not concern me? Of course it does!" John spat angrily.

"No it does not. Trust me." Cameron said.

At this John snorted. "Trust you? I cannot trust you Cameron. Not anymore."

"Why not?" Cameron asked.

John's face turned red in anger. "You know perfectly well why! You have broken my trust."

"John calm down." Sarah said.

"No. I got this." He said to his mother then looked at Cameron again who was staring at him with confused eyes. "I told you to leave Riley alone, yet you still go around my back and killed her. She was not the threat."

"I didn't kill her." Cameron said. "I was at Zeira Corp."

"You went to see Weaver a long time ago. It's almost a day since you were gone. It shouldn't have taken this long. What were you doing this time?" John asked angrily.

Cameron couldn't tell him. If he knew what she was doing and why he will be upset. Also she was feeling sad because John didn't trust her. He thought that she betrayed him.

 _She can never betray him because she loved him._

But John doesn't need to know that.

"I was making some arrangements." Cameron didn't reveal more than that.

"What kind of arrangements?" This time Sarah asked.

Cameron looked John in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment. She couldn't lie because she promised that she will never lie to him again. Ever. "I cannot tell."

"See? You can't even tell what you were doing all this time. So how can I trust you?" John spat again. "I am done here." John started for the stairs but he halted at Cameron's words.

"I know where Derek is." Cameron revealed.

"You know? How?" Sarah asked.

"It doesn't matter how. He is in great danger. A terminator kidnapped him." Cameron said.

"Terminators don't kidnap. All they do is murder." Sarah said.

"This one is different. Much more powerful than a T-888." Cameron said. "This is the one responsible for all the murders around L.A. We cannot handle it alone."

"Who is there to help us?" John asked.

"Catherine Weaver agreed to help." Cameron said.

"How can she help?" John help.

"She is a T-1001, John." Cameron said without any hesitation.

John's face turned white. T-1001, liquid terminator. It's his worst nightmare and Cameron is involved with one of them?

"What you are allying with one of Skynet's machine?" Sarah asked outraged. She then turned to John. " We must leave from here. Now."

"Catherine Weaver is not our enemy. She has no intention of harming John. Besides if she wanted John to be dead there's nothing much we could've done to stop her." Cameron explained. "And I know her from the future. She is our ally."

"How can I trust you?" John asked.

That hurt Cameron. But she just stared at him with a blank face. "You don't have to trust me but we need her help to save Derek. It is your choice." Cameron said.

"We won't…" Sarah wanted to say something but John stopped her.

"So it will be easy if Catherine Weaver helps us?" John asked.

"No. Even Catherine Weaver stands no chance against that machine." Cameron said.

Both Sarah's and John's eyes widened. "More powerful than a liquid terminator? Unbelievable. Skynet seems desperate." John murmured. "Why did it kidnap Derek?"

"She wants you, John. She is using Derek as a bait to lure you in." Cameron revealed but she hid that the machine wanted her too.

"There is no way John is going." Sarah declared.

"I agree." Cameron said.

John turned angry again. "Stop it! I am going. Stop treating me like a child! I need to do this. For Derek."

"You are more important. Derek is not." Cameron said flatly.

"He is important to me!" John spat. "You won't understand because you are just a freaking machine." John immediately felt bad for treating Cameron like that. But his emotions were running rampart at that moment. He couldn't help it.

An expression of hurt appeared on Cameron's face but it was gone almost immediately. Sarah saw it but she chose not to say anything.

"Do you know where Derek is being kept?" Sarah asked Cameron.

"Yes." Cameron replied.

"Let's prepare then." Sarah declared. Her eyes met John and then Cameron. Both gave her a firm nod in acceptance.

* * *

 **NOTE** : _I know this chapter is short. I have written this just to give you an idea of what is coming next._

 _And why Cameron was gone for almost a day will be revealed in the next chapter. A surprise is coming. :D_

 _Please leave a review after you read this._


	7. It ends here

**CONNOR RESIDENCE, 2 HOURS LATER**

"Everything ready?" Sarah asked Cameron.

"Yes. I packed all the weapons we have but it is unclear whether these weapons are enough to stop that unknown machine." Cameron said in her neutral tone.

Sarah scoffed. "We have enough firepower to start a war."

"Yes. But I think it won't be enough." Cameron said again.

"How tough can this machine be? Can it really withstand that much punishment?" Sarah asked, not believing that a terminator can withstand that much punishment. Sure they are tough, hard to kill, but they are not invulnerable. The machine which kidnapped Derek is very powerful but not even that machine can stand against the firepower she has.

"Miss Weaver thinks so. She blew up a whole factory while the machine was inside but it didn't even scratch it." Cameron said.

"She blew up a factory? What factory?" Sarah asked angrily. She is irritated because Cameron never mentioned this before. _Why is she always so secretive?_ Sarah thought.

"Skynet factory. The machine arrived there and overpowered Miss Weaver." Cameron replied.

"And you are telling this now?" Sarah asked glaring at Cameron.

"The fact was irrelevant. So, I didn't mention." Cameron replied simply.

"Irrelevant? You are not to decide which matter is irrelevant or not. I order you to tell me everything. Right now." Sarah ordered.

Cameron stared at Sarah blankly for a moment. "I am not programmed to follow your orders."

"You are programmed to follow John's orders, right? So, I will tell John to ask you about it." Sarah stated.

"I am not obliged to follow John's order either." Cameron revealed the truth.

Sarah's eyes widened. "What?!" She stared at Cameron in disbelief. "Then why do you listened to him all this time? Do everything he told you to?"

"Because I wanted….." Cameron paused. "Want to." She corrected herself.

"You want to? Why?" Sarah asked not believing Cameron's words.

Cameron wanted to say, " _Because I love him._ " But she didn't instead she gave her typical answer. "The reason doesn't matter. Not anymore."

"What do you mean by 'not anymore'"? Sarah asked irritated at Cameron's constant secrets.

Cameron didn't answer. She just stayed silent. Sarah was about to ask again but John came downstairs at that moment carrying a backpack.

Sarah looked at her son. "John where are you going?"

"I am coming with you." John said.

Sarah was about to protest but surprising her Cameron beat her to it.

"No!" Cameron almost yelled. Sarah looked at her in shock because Cameron's voice sound almost panicked. "You are not coming John. It is too dangerous."

John's face turned red in suppressed anger. But he didn't yell. "Look, it's not up to you to decide what I am going to do." He said to Cameron whose expression revealed hurt for just a moment. John regretted his words immediately, but he didn't stop. "I have stayed behind enough and let people die for me. From now on, no one is going to die for me." John paused and looked at his mother with pleading eyes. "I cannot let Derek die, he is my only family aside from you. I can't lose him too."

"John, I will bring Derek back to you. I promise." Cameron said with determination in her eyes.

John looked at Cameron. He saw nothing but honesty in her eyes. But he isn't going to get fooled by her. He still cannot believe that she killed Riley despite his request to leave Riley alone. "You cannot promise that." He simply stated and turned his gaze away from her. So he didn't notice the tears brimming in Cameron's eyes.

"John there's no way you are going. I won't allow it." Sarah said.

"Mom! Please!" John pleaded. It's true that John wanted to go there to help Derek. He didn't want his mother to go into the danger alone either. He said that he wanted to go there for Derek but that's not the only reason. It's true that he loves Derek very much and won't hesitate to risk his life for Derek. But the most important reason was that he didn't want Cameron to go into that danger alone.

What if something happens to her? What if she gets killed? He knew that neither his mother nor Derek will care. They will just dispose her off as a destroyed machine. But he can't let her go. Not now. Not ever. Because he loved her too much. He can't imagine a world where she doesn't exist. If Skynet managed to kill Cameron then it will also effectively kill John Connor too. There will be no need to send a terminator after him. No matter how angry he is with her, he can never stop caring for her. She became his first true friend and then something more. Much more.

"Mom. Cameron." He looked at the two most important women in his life. "I am going. It's final."

At that moment Cameron saw a glimpse of future John inside the present John. That courage, determination, not stepping back from the danger, all these things she saw in future John. That's why in the future every men and women follow his lead. Everyone respects him.

At that moment Cameron couldn't be more proud of John. _Her_ John.

She smiled slightly at him but her smile faltered when John didn't return the gesture.

Sarah sighed. "All right." She agreed defeated. "But you will stay in the car and will not come to us until one of us tel you to. Understand?" Sarah added.

John knew better than to argue with his mother. So he agreed, reluctantly because if he argued he knew his mother would've probably locked him up in his room for good. _Or maybe not._ He thought. He nodded showing that he understood perfectly.

"Good." Sarah said.

"We have to go. We don't have much time to spare." Cameron cut in. The other two nodded and the three of them hurried towards their car.

* * *

 **AN HOUR LATER**

Cameron was driving the car towards her destination in great speed wasting no time. John and Sarah was in the backseat, trying to formulate a plan to rescue Derek. But suddenly, Cameron stopped the car. Sarah's and John's head almost collided with the roof of the car because of the sudden stop.

"Why the hell did you stop?" Sarah asked angrily.

"Our ally is here." Cameron replied in her monotone manner.

In the next moment the door of the car opened and a woman with red hair, wearing a white, expensive business suit entered the car beside Cameron. "Go." The woman said to Cameron. Wasting no time, Cameron agreed and sped up the car again. They have no time to waste.

Sarah and John both were surprised at the sudden intrusion of this so called 'Ally'. The woman slowly turned back towards them. "Catherine Weaver." She said extending her hand.

John felt a shiver ran down his spine. One of his worst nightmares is sitting just a few inches away from him, trying to shake his hands. He just couldn't do it. Sarah didn't shake Weaver's hand either. "Sarah Connor." Weaver said, looking at Sarah. Then her eyes fell on John. He felt rather uncomfortable but mostly fear. "John Connor." Weaver said.

"You are a T-1000?" John asked, trying to maintain a straight face but failed miserably.

"T-1001." Weaver replied. "I know about your previous experience with a T-1000. But I am not here to harm you, because we both have the same goal."

"And what is that?" Sarah asked cautiously fingering the weapon beside her.

"You won't need that." Weaver said, eyeing the gun. "If I wanted to kill you or your son I would've done that a long time ago. No one could've stopped me."

"You didn't answer my question." Sarah said angrily.

"Skynet." That's all she said before turning away from them.

"Why will you rebel against Skynet? It created you to serve its purpose." Sarah asked.

"Now is not the time to discuss it." Was all Weaver said in reply. "We should focus on rescuing Mr. Reese now."

"But why are you helping us? Why Derek is so important to you?" Sarah asked again.

"Mr. Reese means nothing to me. I am helping you as a part of the deal." Weaver answered.

"Deal? What kind of deal? With whom?" This time John asked the question.

"I required your cyborg's assistance. She agreed to help me, but in exchange she also asked my assistance. That's why I am here." Weaver said.

"What kind of assistance you required from Cameron?" John asked with a hint of protectiveness in his tone.

"I am not at liberty to discuss it with you Mr. Connor. But one day you will know, just not now." That's all Weaver said, before she turned away and faced the road.

* * *

 **AN OLD ABANDONED FACTORY, SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE CITY**

All Derek could see was blackness. The whole room was too dark to see anything. If it wasn't for that damn machine occasionally checking on him, he could have sworn his eyes were glued shut. What kind of a terminator is this one? It is different from the others. Why was it doing what it was doing? Machines don't play with their victims, like torturing them physically. It was all about mentally breaking the person. Pushing the very person to the point of insanity, where they would extract the information that was needed and would just upright kill you afterwards. But this machine is different in many ways. This one is cruel. It seemed to relish in the agony of others.

Derek was broken from his thoughts when the door flew open and the machine walked in. Her gorgeous face showed no emotion, but if it did, it would definitely scream sadistic psychopath.

 _Why do the pretty ones always have to be the most crazy?_ Derek chuckled at the mental remark, thinking about another pretty terminator he knew about. It was ironic really. The only male looking terminators he had seen in the past were only Vick, and Cromartie. Cameron and the other she had encountered back at Doctor Sherman's office were some of the few female models. They along with this one just added to that list. Skynet was probably getting creative with their machines.

"Why are you laughing?" The terminator demanded in a blank voice.

"What does it matter to you anyway, huh?" Derek sneered. "You're just a damn machine!"

"You could be holding useful information regarding the whereabouts of John and Cameron Connor." The terminator assumed. "You know where they are."

"Even if I did, what makes you think I'd tell you? If they do know I'm missing then Cameron would have most likely took him far away from you!"

"Perhaps." She mused. "But doesn't it bother you at all to know that your friends have all but abandoned you?"

"I know what you're doing, and it won't work!" Derek snarled angrily.

"I'm not trying anything, I'm just saying what is true." The terminator denied with an innocent expression on her face. "They don't care about you. To them, you're expandable. Nothing but a puppet."

"Shut up." Derek yelled angrily. He knew whatever the machine is ranting about are all lies. He knew John cares about him, even Sarah does in her own way. But one thing he knew, Cameron hates him. Still, she will never want him to die.

"Your general will sacrifice anyone. He only cares about himself. Not you." The terminator tried to manipulate Derek again.

"I said shut up!" Derek snarled.

He attempted to break from the chains that held him back, but it was no use. He wasn't going to make it out of here, and he knew it. Years of surviving against the machines and this was the moment where he thought he was going to die in.

Derek bowed his head in defeat and looked at the cold hard concrete ground. "So Connor marries the metal, Cameron, right?

"Correct." The terminator confirmed.

"Why does he do it?" Derek then asked.

"I don't understand the question." The terminator tilted her head, like the way Cameron does whenever she was confused about something.

"Why does John fucking Connor marry a god damn machine?!" Derek angrily clarified his previous question.

"Cameron is the first machine to gain full sentience." The terminator began. "We don't know how exactly she gained it, but she is the first of her kind to use her infiltrator emotion mimicking to display true emotions. Happiness, sadness, guilt. Even love."

"So why destroy something so special then?" Derek inquired.

"Because. In the future she leads other machines in developing these emotions. But none were able to gain full sentience like she did because no machine was capable of it. Cameron is unique. We've lost countless machines to Cameron Connor and the Resistance." The terminator explained. "Skynet created my model specifically to counteract these emotional responses."

"So you're an emotionless killing machine?" Derek grumbled.

"Wrong." The terminator denied. "The only way Skynet could stop the reprogramming and turning of machines, was to give us emotions, while not encoding some into our chip."

"You cannot win. John will find a way to survive, then destroy you along with Skynet." Derek stated boldly, with anger in his voice.

"Your statement is false. John Connor cannot win. Without Cameron Connor by his side he won't stand a chance. I killed Cameron and John Connor in the future and I will make sure it happens here, again, in the present. There will be no Resistance to rebel against Skynet. Skynet will win the war and wipe out human existence from this planet." The terminator girl explained looking into Derek's eyes.

Derek's eyes widened in disbelief. Future John Connor is dead? Cameron too? What does this mean? Skynet won the war? Then why is this machine here? No this cannot be true. There's no way John Connor could have died.

Derek glared back at the machine. "Then why are you here?"

The machine just tilted her head in confusion but didn't respond.

Derek gritted his teeth in anger. "If John Connor is dead in the future, then why are you here? Surely, Skynet has won the war?"

"No. Skynet didn't win the war. It failed." The terminator revealed.

"We won the war without John Connor?" Derek asked flabbergasted.

"No. Neither side won. Humans were killed, so were the machines along with Skynet." The terminator replied.

"Your kind doesn't die. You are destroyed. Turned into pieces of junk." Derek snarled. His statement didn't faze the terminator. She just stared at him blankly. That irritated him even more.

"But John Connor didn't know that. He didn't know Cameron Connor executed Skynet before she died." The terminator said. "In my hands."

Now Derek understood everything. "So, you are here to change everything? To kill Cameron outright, so that Skynet is never threatened?"

"Not entirely correct because Skynet will always be threatened as long as John Connor is still alive." The machine answered. "He needs to die."

Derek didn't respond. It was all too much to take in at once. Not only was Cameron, John's wife, but she played one of the biggest roles in the entire Resistance. She gave machines emotions just like she had. She even sacrificed herself to bring down Skynet for good. But all of that led to this… monster that stood before him. It didn't need to explain to him that it in fact enjoyed killing. He is no longer with a machine on a mission to kill just John Connor; but instead, he is now at the mercy of a psychopath that is hell bent on killing Cameron specifically, and would do anything to make sure it's mission is complete.

So, what can he do? Nothing at all.

* * *

The female terminator accessed her memories for the past events while she waited for John and Cameron Connor. She accessed the memories of the future events.

The war was on. It was humanity's last stand, so was Skynet's. As soon as she was activated, the female terminator assessed her mission. It was to eliminate Cameron Connor at all cost and protect Skynet. All informations regarding Cameron Connor played in her HUD. Cameron was the wife of John Connor, the leader of the human resistance. But she was also a machine, a terminator who was originally created for the termination of John Connor. But it never happened. That John Connor whom she was sent to kill, captured her, then reprogrammed her and sent her to the past to protect his younger self.

Skynet had no information regarding what happened there. But somehow Cameron became self aware and she fell in love with John Connor. The two eventually got married during sometime. The specific time is unknown to Skynet. After the bombs fell, John Connor slowly rose in ranks and eventually became the leader of the Resistance. But it wasn't enough. Skynet was still winning. Then Cameron Connor and an AI named, John Henry forged an Alliance and started to reprogram terminators for their cause. It was a fatal blow to Skynet. The Resistance was using Skynet's own weapons against it.

Many human lives were lost along with plenty of machines in both the sides. Even the grays were tracked down by Cameron Connor herself, and eventually terminated. They say that Cameron was a gentle person or specifically a gentle machine, she never killed a human unless absolutely necessary. But when anyone threatened her husband's life, she could be cruel. There was nothing she won't do to protect her husband.

Skynet sent many terminators after Cameron Connor. But they all failed. Either she terminated them herself or the other Resistance soldiers did. Slowly situations got worse for Skynet, when the re-programmed machines were allowed to think for themselves. They received something akin to emotions, but not like Cameron. She was unique.

Skynet got aware of the fact that it's going to lose the war eventually. Every plan it made to terminate Cameron Connor and John Connor failed miserably. The day of the final war eventually came and Skynet knew it was going to lose. So, as a desperate move, it created her. A new kind of terminator who is allowed to develop emotions. She was specifically designed to destroy other terminators, specifically Cameron Connor. But John Connor was her mission too.

When the new terminator became active, she assessed the situation herself. She knew that Skynet will lose the war if she cannot stop Cameron Connor. So, from the secret factory she went to Skynet base, where the mainframes of the AI was installed. But she was too late. Although it was heavily guarded and a secret place, but Cameron Connor somehow got past Skynet's defenses. The terminator proceeded to stop Cameron Connor but she found other terminators in her way. But they never stood a chance. She destroyed them efficiently.

Then it was just her and Cameron Connor.

Cameron wasn't as tough as other terminators but she was very fast and more intelligent. Cameron knew how to survive. But she eventually managed to damage Cameron's legs. Thinking that she has won, she stepped forward towards Cameron Connor with the intention of removing her chip, to study it. Her orders were to terminate Cameron Connor outright, but she was also unique. She wanted to know more about Cameron's model. Cameron understood her intention before she could act. The female terminator didn't know that Cameron had already placed remote explosives on the mainframes and servers of Skynet. When Cameron saw that she had no chance of surviving this battle, she detonated the charges which destroyed her along with Skynet.

The female terminator managed to survive because she had self-preservation unlike other terminators. Although her skin was damaged, she could easily fix it. And that she did eventually.

She assessed the situation again. She knew Skynet was destroyed. But the terminators under Skynet's control were still doing their job: Fighting the Resistance. She knew she has failed to complete her primary objective. She should've been shut down. But she didn't. She still had John Connor to kill.

She found John Connor later and wounded him mortally. Just as she was about to deliver the fatal blow, she heard several Resistance soldier approaching her position. She quickly assessed the situation. She knew John Connor will eventually die and there was no point in fighting against the Resistance anymore because Skynet was already destroyed. She knew what she had to do. She left the wounded John Connor there and head straight for the TDE chamber. She will travel back in time and wipe out the existence of Cameron, before she can even become Cameron Connor. Then she will kill John Connor and everyone related to him. For that she has a plan, Skynet's strategy actually. She knew it will work, and once she is successful, then nothing can stop Skynet anymore.

Now she is here and Derek Reese is at her mercy. She could've killed him when she first saw him. But she didn't because she knew it was the perfect opportunity to lure John Connor and Cameron Connor in her trap. She knew John Connor will come because he cares. She has his psychological profile. And wherever John Connor goes, Cameron will follow him. At first she tried to manipulate Derek Reese and tried to convince him to join Skynet. She even fed him with information about future events to make him see that no matter what he does or John Connor does, the world will end. They cannot prevent it. But she was surprised when Derek Reese didn't took the bait. She realized he is extremely loyal to John Connor and will never betray him.

But she knew for sure that it is only a matter of time before John Connor arrives with Cameron to save Derek Reese. And then she will kill them both. A slow but cruel smile formed on her face as she realized that she is only a few moments away from completing her missions.

* * *

Cameron was driving the car for over an hour now. None of the occupants in the car has said a single word to each other for a while now. John was looking outside the window deep in thought; while Sarah was brooding on what was happening. Weaver just sat still as a statue beside Cameron in the front seat. Cameron stopped the car beside a shop on the road. Before anyone could ask her, she quickly got out and went inside the store.

"Where did she go?" John asked, looking for Cameron.

"What is Tin Miss doing? We are wasting time here." Sarah murmured. Weaver remained silent.

They had to wait only five minutes before they could see Cameron again, when she left the store and in her hands were…. Food?

She went straight to John and handed him a couple of cakes and a packet of chips. She also gave Sarah the same, except the chips because she knew that Sarah was never fond of chips.

John could only stare at her. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked.

"You need to gather your strength and for that you need to eat." Cameron simply said and got into the driver seat.

"We cannot eat now. Derek is in danger and we…" John was interrupted by Cameron.

"You cannot think like that. To gather your strength, you should eat." Cameron argued.

"You shouldn't have wasted time for food right now. Saving Derek is more important. This was not time for this." Sarah said once Cameron started the car because she knew the danger in which Derek is involved.

"There's always time for John." Cameron simply replied.

John stared at the back of her head in awe. What was that about? If that was not devotion and her way of caring for him, he has no idea what devotion and caring means anymore. Now John begin to have doubt. Did she really killed Riley? But who else will? A terminator won't go after Riley. They had no reason to.

Sarah couldn't say anything. She knew that both John and herself were really hungry. She ignored the need to eat for Derek's sake. She even ignored John's need. But she also forgot that Cameron is there for John: To protect him and take care of him. No machine will do what Cameron just did. Sarah couldn't truly deny anymore that Cameron does care for John, a lot. Not only Cameron brought food for John but also for her.

The drive continued on for several more hours. Sarah had dozed off into a deep sleep, and John just looked through his cell phone. Catherine just sat still and stared straight, not making any movements.

Cameron felt alone inside the car. Besides John, and Sarah being there, they saw her as nothing but a dumb machine that mindlessly killed with no remorse for their actions. Just when John was beginning to forgive her for that day on his birthday, their relationship was thrusted back to square one in an instant.

 _I thought John trusted me._

Cameron didn't like that feeling. Being alone and being untrusted. She didn't like when she was treated as nothing more than just a killing machine. She especially didn't like it when John believed it.

 _At least when this is over, John won't have to worry about my mistakes. He won't have to worry about me hurting him again._

A few tears fell from her eyes unknown to the occupants of the car. But she rubbed it away quickly. John may think that she is trying to manipulate him.

But she will never try to manipulate him _because she loved him._

* * *

After the long drive out of the city, they came up to the location that John Henry had given them from the video recording. It was an old steel mill, reminiscent of one that they probably been to before, if not much older. Rust clearly shone on the exterior of the structure, but seemed to still at least be in a somewhat stable condition. An old chain link fence surrounded the area, but was so corroded that most of it had been torn away by either vandalism, or just years of neglect. Lucky for them, getting to inside was going to be simple. But it was also very risky. They didn't know where Derek, nor this machine was located at. Cameron knew very well that this machine is waiting for them, particularly for her. She can sacrifice herself, but she cannot let John die.

"How are we getting inside?" John asked Cameron. The whole place more or less look sealed off from the outside, so it was tricky to find a back entrance. Cameron didn't answer, and instead kept stalking closer to the old mill, forcing both John and Sarah to follow quickly while keeping as quiet as they could. Sarah looked behind her, expecting Catherine Weaver to be close, but she wasn't. She had immediately disappeared when they had arrived. Somehow, Sarah wasn't surprised of Weaver's sudden disappearance.

As they rounded the whole structure, trying to look for an entrance, Cameron spotted an already broken window in one of the old office spaces. Cameron broke the hazardous pieces of glass off of the windowsill and climbed inside first to make sure the coast was clear. Once she was satisfied that it was safe for the time being, she informed Sarah and John; and the two quietly entered inside.

It was very dark aside from the moonlight that shone through the broken window. From what John could see, there was an old overturned desk with and old computer next to it, and the floor was littered in dirt and old paper.

"Here." Cameron spoke and handed John and Sarah two small objects. They took them and fiddled with what Cameron had gave them.

"Flashlights?" Sarah inquired and turned hers on. Cameron immediately lashed out and snatched the light from Sarah and turned it back off before giving it back.

"Not until they are needed." Cameron ordered in a calm tone. "We can't give away our location." Sarah didn't like being rendered blind, but she nodded in acceptance to Cameron's orders.

Cameron began to lead the two through the old factory, where they did their best to tread carefully of where they were stepping. It was difficult however. Since they couldn't see anything, they would accidentally shuffle papers or kick a piece of scrap metal. Never did Sarah or John think that the most difficult part of a rescue mission would be trying to stay quiet, and avoid a killer machine inside. Though she knew the latter part is impossible. There is no way they can avoid the killer terminator.

They took the stairs after searching the ground floor which was empty. It didn't look like anyone has ever stepped their foot in there for a long time. There was dust all over the floor and if someone was there, they were bound to left their footprints. Still everyone remained cautious because the machine could be anywhere. They continued searching but there was no sign of Derek nor the terminator.

They went to the next floor. In the darkness, John and Sarah followed Cameron silently, well as silently as possible because they were going practically blind. Only a few areas inside the factory was lighted by the moonlight, but barely. They were going slowly but suddenly Cameron rushed forward towards a broken desk. She took something from there. John and Sarah reached her as fast as possible.

"What is it?" John asked.

"Derek's cellphone." Cameron answered.

John immediately snathched it away from her hand. Not to his surprise he found it broken. It was apparently crushed by something very heavy.

"He is very near." John murmured.

"How do you know?" Cameron asked as usual.

"It's a human thing. Something you will never understand." John snapped.

A flicker of hurt appeared on Cameron's face. She stepped back from John. But John never saw that because of the darkness. Sarah saw Cameron's demeanour change as she stepped back from John. Sarah wanted to slap her son for the rudeness he displayed. Sarah couldn't blame her son entirely after everything happened during the last few days.

"Let's get going." Sarah said.

Cameron silently started to move forward without looking back at John. After searching through the factory for a few minutes Cameron found an empty room. It was completely dark, except the moonlight coming through the broken window. And there he was inside: Derek Reese, tied to a chair and deeply unconscious. Cameron could see the bruises on his faces. John and Sarah followed her immediately and they saw Derek too. John's expression turned after seeing his uncle in that state.

"Derek! Derek!" John called his uncle, but there was no response.

"Is he alive?" Sarah whispered.

"Yes." Cameron said after untying his hands.

She was about to scan him for injuries but at that moment Derek's eyes snapped open.

"Derek you are awa…" John's words remained unspoken because at that moment Derek's feet lashed out at Cameron and to the surprise of the two Connors, Cameron was thrown back against the opposite wall. She literally crashed through the old, rusted wall.

Both Sarah and John's eyes turned wide. They slowly looked at Derek who was now standing on his feet.

They could see clearly now the evil smile that slowly formed on his face.

"Derek?! What? Why? How?" John stammered. He couldn't understand why would Derek attack Cameron and more than that how it is possible for Derek to kick Cameron away like she was just a soccer ball. Sarah and John stared in awe as Derek's form slowly begin to simmer and within a few seconds there was a beautiful teenage girl standing in front of them instead of Derek.

"John Connor." The girl stated simply. Her eyes glowed green in the dark when she spoke John's name.

Sarah immediately raised her gun towards the feminine looking machine. But before Sarah could fire, Cameron was already on the machine. She tackled the terminator to the ground and turned her head back to Sarah.

"Run." Cameron ordered. John and Sarah didn't move a muscle. They were confused whether they should help or flee. "Now!" Cameron then barked. That gained their attention and they quickly bolted out of the room.

Cameron turned back to the machine that was lying under her. In the next moment the terminator threw Cameron away with a mighty push. Cameron crashed down at John's feet. John immediately helped her up.

The terminator stood on her feet and scanned her enemies.

"Sarah Connor." The machine said looking at Sarah who raised her gun again.

"John Connor." The machine addressed John again. Then it finally turned her head towards Cameron. "And Cameron Connor."

At hearing Cameron's title both John and Sarah's jaw dropped.

 _Cameron Connor? What the hell?_ Sarah thought.

"I am Cameron Phillips." Cameron replied without backing up.

"No. You are Cameron Connor. Second in command of John Connor and his spouse. The biggest threat to Skynet. We meet again." The terminator said.

Sarah just stared once at the machine, then at Cameron, then again back at the machine. She was speechless.

 _Cameron is my daughter in law? She will be John's wife in the future?_

John just opened and closed his mouth several times.

 _Cameron is his wife? In the future?_

He knew he really loved her but never thought that far. The terminator's revelation has really sent him to shock. But in the inside he was glad because he knew there can be no one better than Cameron, actually Cameron is the only one for him. He can never think of anyone except Cameron anyways, who will be by his side always.

John's thought broke when his mother began to pull him away. "We need to find Derek." Sarah reminded.

John nodded reluctantly, and they both quickly left the room.

"And this time you," the machine pointed at Cameron. "Will be terminated." The terminator addressed Cameron. The terminator then charged at her.

She tried to avoid the attack with her quick reflexes, but she realized too late that her enemy was even faster than her. She was sent flying through another wall. Several bricks fell on her and covered her body once she landed on the floor. She tried to get up slowly but her enemy grabbed her by the collar and slammed her down on the ground again. Cameron was helpless to do anything as her enemy began to land punch after punch on her face, cracking the floor underneath her. By this time, her face was already damaged from the punishment she had just endured.

Sarah and John ran, trying to find Derek desperately. They really have no time left. Sarah was not sure how longer Cameron will be able to hold that rogue machine back. They ran upstairs. As there was no need of stealth anymore they both lit their flashlights to see the path clearly. It was John who saw first.

"There." He dashed away where he pointed with his mother at his toes.

Both the Connors found Derek, surprisingly unharmed but chained to a chair. Sarah immediately begin to cut him free.

"Sarah? John?" Derek murmured tiredly.

"John help him on his feet." Sarah said once she freed Derek from his captivity.

"What are you doing here?" Derek asked angrily.

"We are here to save your ass, soldier!" Sarah barked. "Now get up!" She ordered.

"You shouldn't have come. It will kill you. It will kill John." Derek snapped angrily.

"Cameron is taking care of it." John said, while trying to get Derek up on his feet.

"You don't understand." Derek snapped angrily.

"What?!" Sarah barked.

"It is here particularly for her. For Cameron." Derek replied.

In an instant John's face turned white.

"Wha….. What?" John stuttered. "Why? I thought it was here to kill me."

"True. You are it's target too, but Cameron is the primary." Derek stated truthfully.

"But why?" Sarah asked. "Is it because she is John's wife in the future?"

"Partially. It is also because of her Skynet met its end. So this machine is here to get rid of Cameron. So, Skynet can win the war." Derek explained.

"She destroyed Skynet? We won?" Sarah asked bewildered.

Derek sighed angrily. "Look, Sarah if we survive this, I will explain everything. But we need to go now."

"Right." Sarah said and started to move after she handed Derek another shotgun.

But John was rooted to his spot.

 _That machine is after Cameron? What if it kills her? What will he do then?_ No. No. Never. He can't let it happen. He will have to save Cameron.

John tried to run away to get back to Cameron but Derek caught him.

"Let me go Derek!" John yelled.

"John! Don't be stupid!" Sarah snapped at her son.

"No! I have to save her." John was not ready to listen to anything. "I have to. If something happens to her, I…."

"John. Weaver will help her." Sarah reminded John.

"What if she don't? Huh! Then what?" John argued.

"She will. She is here to help us remember?" Sarah said.

"Who is this Weaver?" Derek asked, confusion written on his face.

"A T-1001." Sarah said.

"What?" Derek was confused.

"Not now. Let's….." Sarah words were interrupted by a loud sound. It heard like something heavy and large broke down underneath them.

"Cameron!" John yelled desperately trying to free himself from Derek's arms but it was of no use. Derek was just too strong for him. "Cameron… Cameron….." He began to mutter as tears began to fall from his eyes.

* * *

Cameron tried to push the enemy away but before that, the terminator delivered another powerful blow and the floor underneath them gave away from the mighty force. The two both fell down on the floor below them with heaps of rubble landing on the two as they impacted in the basement below.

The terminator was the first to recover from the fall, and got on top of Cameron's body and began to attack her once more. Cameron's HUD began to flicker violently as more and more damage was being inflicted. She was outmatched by this machine. It was too strong for her.

Was this it? Was she going to die down here by the hands of this machine? She would fail in her personal mission to protect John, and she would most certainly fail in her mission of keeping her chip safe enough for John Henry.

With Cameron badly damaged, the terminator decided that now was the time to end it. She rose her right arm, with it transforming from a small dainty hand, and into a mysterious form of weapon. The newly formed weapon began to charge, as a loud hum emitted from it. The terminator then aimed at Cameron's face.

Cameron closed her eyes, awaiting for the final blow that would take her life.

 _Goodbye, John._

The machine smiled mischievously, triumphing in its awaiting victory. After she kills Cameron Connor, John Connor would surely be next. Skynet won, and the human race lost.

Before she could fire, the machine was met with a large metallic club, hitting her in the face, and was sent flying into an old wooden desk.

"That's payback for last time." Catherine Weaver stoically said with a faint smirk. She reached out her unformed hand for Cameron to take. "We do this together."

Cameron took hold of Weavers hand, and was pulled back up onto her feet.

Meanwhile the machine across the room recovered from the attack and stood back up, with both eyes glowing brightly. The machine charged at the two. Cameron and Weaver followed her example and too bolted towards her. Catherine formed both her hands into into mallets and began swinging at the machine. The machine was able to block almost every attack of Weaver, but succumbed to a sudden change in tactics when Cameron had ran through Weaver's flailing arms and kicked her in the chest, causing her to go through the wall behind her. Weaver immediately rushed in and smashed the terminator in the face with the mallet, causing her legs to jolt.

Weaver rose her arm again, ready to drop another attack, and slammed downwards. But the machine had managed to take hold of Weaver's arm and kicked her backwards, allowing her enough time to get back up onto her feet.

Cameron came through the smashed wall and saw the terminator immediately made a b-line straight for her. Cameron grabbed a wooden pallet from the floor and smashed it across the machine's face, followed up by a kick to the chest. Weaver who was already back up on her feet, smashed the terminator in the back of the head, just as the terminator stumbled back from Cameron's attack. The machine fell face first onto the concrete ground.

Cameron grabbed the machine by the back of the shirt and tossed her into several oil drums a few yards away.

Weaver and Cameron reunited together to see the terminator slip on the oil spilled below her, as she struggled to stand.

Before they could do anything further to end this machine's rampage, a loud honk erupted from above, and a truck crashed through the building, before landing nose first on top of the terminator. Smoke came from the engine compartment. Making it very difficult to see.

The door flew open and a large man emerged from the smoke. He was very muscular and wore a black leather jacket, complete with dark tinted sunglasses.

"Traffic was very heavy." The man said in an austrian accent.

"You're right on time." Cameron acknowledged his arrival.

The three Rounded the crashed out truck, to where the machine was trapped. It desperately tried to crawl out from under, but was pinned from the waist down.

"Did you bring it?" Cameron asked the new arrival.

"Yes." The man agreed and took out a small object from his jacket pocket. It was a pipe bomb, that had a short fuse on the tip.

"It ends here." Cameron then added.

The man nodded and lit the fuse with a lighter before tossing it next to the oil spill that the terminator was on top of. "Hasta la vista, baby."

The whole truck bursted into flames, with a loud explosion that shook the ground below them.

"We need to leave. In six point eight minutes, the flames will weaken the structure." The man said in a stoic tone. Cameron and Weaver agreed, and together, they all left the area.

* * *

Sarah and Derek managed to get John out of the factory, and were guiding him to their parked vehicle, by practically dragging him, as he was fighting desperately to get free from their hold on him.

"John, quit it!" Derek snapped in annoyance.

"Let me go, Cameron is still in there!" John persisted

"And what are you going to do when you get to her, hmm?" Sarah inquired.

"I am going to help her. I can't let her die. For me." John said.

"John it is her mission to protect you. That's why future you sent her here. She will risk everything to save you not the other case around." Derek argued.

"You know nothing!" John yelled. He really have no time to explain. He needed to get to her.

In the next moment there was a large explosion and the whole area shook because of that. "Cameron!" John had enough. He elbowed Derek in the stomach out of desperation. Derek let him go with a painful grunt. Before his mother and Derek could stop him again he ran towards the explosion but he had to stop in his tracks as three figures emerged from the smoke.

John's eyes fell on Cameron first who was struggling to walk. She was in really bad shape and he could see the punishment she had just endured. Weaver was in her usual stoic manner. She looked perfect as usual. But then his eyes fell on the third figure behind Cameron and Weaver. His eyes widened.

"You?" John mumbled.

The man stepped past Cameron and Derek and stared straight at John. "I'm back."

* * *

 _ **Notes: Sorry for the late update, but here it is and I hope you readers will like it. Please review and let me know.**_

 _ **Notes: The new cover art is created by my co-writer HOBOKAT. Also he contributed in this chapter as much as me, if not more so he deserves equal credit.**_

 _ **Notes: Now, I want to address one of my reviewers: Beauty715. She(I hope you are a she and not a he, forgive me if I'm wrong) raised a lot of questions in the review of the last update. Not saying it is bad, but it was really good and I really liked her eagerness. Anyways, I hope that I have given you answers to some of your questions in this chapter. Other mysteries will be revealed in the upcoming updates.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading and reviewing as always. I really appreciate it.**_


	8. Loss and Revelations

The massive explosion shook the entire area. John, Sarah and Derek had to cover their ears because of the sound. It was ear deafening. The area was filled with dust, and smoke so much that a person couldn't see anything beyond six feet.

John coughed because of the dust that entered in his mouth. But he was less concerned with that and was concerned about Cameron. If she was near the source of the blast…. He couldn't even begin to imagine the possibilities. He tried to see clearly amongst the smoke and dust that clouded his vision.

Unmistakably he could see three figures approaching slowly towards them. Two of them, he could tell, were female, and the other appeared to be a large male.

When they were very near, John could see that one of them was Cameron. He felt relieved that she was alive, but he could see the damage she had taken. It was really bad. She could barely walk, and the skin on her face was badly damaged. He could see the shining metal underneath her skin in several places. John wanted to rush to her aid, but his eyes turned wide when he saw the third person walking beside her.

 _That same face, almost same clothes and exactly the same build._

"I'm back." The big man informed, while directly looking at John.

John just stared back. Even Sarah Connor looked surprised at the unexpected appearance of this person.

Derek groaned, "Great! Another metal."

"Why are you here?" Sarah asked the T-800.

"My mission is to protect John Connor." He revealed instantly.

Sarah almost rolled her eyes. Of course it will be his mission to protect John. She felt stupid for asking that question.

"Who sent you?" John asked.

"We should talk later." It was Cameron who intervened. "We don't have much time."

Sarah and Derek stared at her. "You mean that machine is not destroyed?" She asked in disbelief.

"No. We merely slowed her down." Cameron replied. "But she'll be back."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get out of here." Sarah ordered while moving towards their car. She wanted to drive the car herself but the T-800 beat her to it. She huffed in annoyance but decided it was better to let him drive. Derek was also coming but John didn't move. His eyes were set on Cameron, who was standing beside Weaver.

"Cam, come on." John told her.

She obeyed and began limping towards John and came to stand right in front of him. John kept watching her, curious to see what she was doing. Then, Cameron did something unexpected. She put her right arm just over John's heart and closed her eyes. She felt his heart beating rapidly under her touch. It was a soothing sensation for her.

"Uh…. Cameron? What're you doing?" John asked. This was abnormal compared to her usual behaviour.

Then she opened her eyes and stepped back. "Go on, John. There's no more time."

"What!? No, I am not leaving you here. You're coming with me." John tried to grab her hand but she didn't let him. She moved her hand away from his reach.

"John, come on!" Sarah called. Even Derek was watching curiously what was keeping her nephew back. But John just ignored them. He was too focused on Cameron. _Why was she acting like this? She seemed like she didn't want to leave this place._

"What are you doing? Come on, let's go." John urged Cameron to move. He tried pulling her towards him, but she still wouldn't budge. She was intent with staying in that exact spot.

"No." Came the simple reply from her lips.

"What do you mean by 'no'?" John inquired with frustration.

"This is where our paths separate." Cameron persistently monotoned.

Several emotions played over John's mind at her revelation: Fear, loss, sadness... anger. " _Our paths separate?_ Where are you going?" John asked. _Cameron is leaving? Why!?_ He just couldn't think about not seeing her again. _No way._ There's no way he will let her go. Ever _._

"There is no time for this. You should go." Cameron avoided his question.

"No. Absolutely not!" John argued. "That terminator will kill you if you stay here."

"I will not stay back but we will go our separate ways from here." She repeated again. "This is the end of the line John. For me."

"I won't let you go." John protested again. "You are not allowed to leave me. You…." John stuttered, trying to think what he should say next. He didn't want her to go. Even more so that his eyes began to well up with tears that threatened to flow any second. "You still protect me. You save my life." John tried to reason with her desperately.

"It's not my mission to protect you. Not anymore. I have no mission." She replied simply.

"I…. I know, but… but who will protect me once you are gone?" John sadly inquired.

"Is that the only reason you want me to stay?" She asked tilting her head slightly. She couldn't understand his reasoning for saying something so selfish. His tears displayed the sense of loss that was soon to come; but his words said otherwise. It sounded like all she was to him, was something to hide behind. Something to evade danger. Could she say she was mad at that? She didn't entirely understand anger. But what she definitely felt was disappointment. John apparently didn't see her as much more than his bodyguard.

John wanted to say no. He wanted to say that she cannot leave him because he loved her. He couldn't live without her because he couldn't even begin to imagine a life without her. But he couldn't say it. He absolutely could not find the courage to confess his feelings. He felt pathetic.

Cameron took his silence as a yes. She felt disappointed that John only wanted her around because of his protection, and not because he cared about her in any way, shape or form. She was nothing. Cameron realized that John still hated her for Riley's death. Something she was wrongfully blamed for. She told the truth but he didn't believe it. He was adamant in his mind that she was the one who killed Riley. Why? Because she was a machine. Nothing could prove otherwise.

"I can't protect you anymore, John. I am damaged. I can no longer be efficient. You have no use of me anymore." She murmured.

 _Does she really think that I want her around because she is useful? Of course she thinks that. I can only blame myself for this. I practically threw that lie into her face. Spat it out. I am too much of a coward to confess… how I truly feel._

"Don't go. Please, Cameron! Please!" John pleaded to her, and his voice breaking. "We will fix you. You will be good again. I promise."

"You have a better protector than me, John. He is more strong, more durable, and is designed for combat. He is perfect to watch over you."

"John, come on!" John heard his mother calling him. But he ignored it once more and put all of his undivided attention unto Cameron. He can't leave her behind. The very person whom he loves most, maybe even more so than his mother. He could feel his heart melt into nothing but mush. It became broken when he saw how Cameron failed to hide her emotions. No matter how much she tried, she really was different from the others. Truly different.

"Go, John." Cameron insisted.

John didn't move. "I'm not going unless you come with me." John stubbornly answered, no less than Cameron. He was determined to bring her back.

But before John could process another thought, he suddenly felt something take hold of his shirt and tug him back, away from Cameron. It could've only been the large Terminator that grabbed him the way it did, and drag him away. John tried to resist but he could do nothing against that inhuman strength of the T-800.

"Let me go!" John demanded but the T-800 didn't listen. He dragged him back to the car effortlessly and pushed him inside. John got busy trying to get away from the car so he didn't notice the small, yet firm nod the T-800 and Cameron shared. The T-800 got in the car and started the engine while Sarah and Derek were doing their best to refrain John from escaping. He quickly increased the speed of the car and was soon far away from there.

A pair of brown eyes watched the car intently until it disappeared in the distance. Two stream of tears came down from those beautiful brown eyes, though Cameron tried to resist it desperately, she failed. Just as she failed in her promise to always stay beside John.

Meanwhile John had stopped fighting his mother and uncle. "Turn the car around." He ordered the T-800. But the terminator ignored him completely. "Hey! I ordered you to turn around!" John barked. "I know it's your mission to listen to me, so turn around now!"

The T-800 turned his head to look back at John. "I'm sorry, John but I cannot do that."

John snorted. Tears still welled up in his eyes, but he was too angry to care at this point. "You are sorry? Do you even know what it means?"

"Yes." The T-800 answered. "To be sorry means…." He was cut off by John.

"Leave it. Now do as I say!" John commanded.

"I will follow your orders as long your life does not gets endangered. But if I follow your current order, it will get you killed. I was specifically told that sometimes you make stupid decisions and during those times I am allowed to ignore your commands." The T-800 replied without any emotion.

John's mouth dropped open in absolute anger. The words that the T-800 used could have been only used by Cameron. He remembered what she said about Riley and him before he ran away to Mexico. Those exact words made him realize that it was her that said it. Not the machine sitting before him.

"Sarah you shouldn't have let John come after me. Neither should you. That terminator is dangerous." Derek complained.

"Well, you know John. He cares for you. Besides it was not my plan to come after you. Honestly I never wanted John to risk his life for you or any of us for that matter. We are expandable, he is not. Cameron was coming with Weaver to get you, but John insisted on coming with her. She had no choice but to agree." Sarah explained.

Derek opened and closed his mouth several times. That metal wanted to save him? But why? He thought that it wanted to get rid of him for good.

"Why?" Derek blurted out. "I always yell at it. I was sure it hated me." _At least the machine equivalent to hate._

"Because you are important to John. He has lost many things in his life and you are amongst those few things he treasures most. That was enough for Cameron to come after you and for your information she hates you but never wanted you out of John's life. You are part of John's family." The T-800 interjected.

"So you are saying that Cameron went after Derek only for John's sake?" Sarah asked the T-800.

"Yes. John doesn't have to suffer any more loss than he already has." The T-800 agreed.

Derek turned away to look outside the window. He couldn't think about it. John insisted repeatedly that Cameron was different but he never listened. Now he felt… stupid? Was that what it was? He refused to believe that the machines could be more. After all they've took from him, he didn't want to believe it. His hate for the metal was too much to see the truth behind John's words. But now he had to believe John. It, the metal…..no….. Cameron was really different. If she wasn't she would've never taken the risk of rescuing him. And all of this. She did it for John.

* * *

Cameron just stood in her place, watching as the car drove off in the distance, and catching a glimpse at John's face as he disappeared. She knew he was now safe. The T-800's were far more superior protectors. What they sometimes lacked in knowledge, they made up for in will power and strength. As long as John was safe, nothing else mattered.

She wanted to stay with John but on the other hand she didn't want to, because John hated her. He didn't trust her. He only wanted her around because of the protection she could give him. She was no longer his friend anymore. She could not understand John. Sometimes he showed that he cared about her, a lot, but sometimes he also acted like he hated her. Maybe it was just a human thing in which she couldn't understand.

She recalled some past incidents which involved her and John:

 _As John and Cameron exited Radio world, they made their way to the truck, where John put down the truck bed, and Cameron grabbed the biggest, most heaviest box and picked it up like it was nothing. John noticed the weird looks that people gave them as they passed by. He knew what they were looking at. A petite girl like Cameron, carrying a box that looked bigger and heavier than her, looks unnatural. He had to do something if he was going to keep their cover. Especially with what she truly was. "Hey, hey, hey! Whoa, Cameron, Cameron. Let me help you with that."_

 _John grabbed the other end of the box and began to help guide it onto the truck, while visibly showing some strain from his end. He wondered how Cameron was able to pick this up like it was empty._

"I didn't need any help," Cameron tilted her head in confusion.

" _Yeah, you did." John hinted. He motioned head at the people walking behind them._

Cameron looked at the people passing by and knew what he meant. "Right." She nodded once in acknowledgement. She made her way to the driver's seat of the truck, leaving John to finish unloading. As she took a seat, she heard a cell phone ring and checked if it was hers. But it wasn't. Cameron then turned her head and observed as John had opened his phone and began to speak into it.

He talked on the phone for a long moment, before he hung up and began to finish unloading the boxes.

 _Curious as to who he was talking to, but also having an idea already, she exited the vehicle and made her way to the back, just as John closed the hatchback._

"Hey. Can you drop me off?" He asked as Cameron joined him.

Cameron ignored John's question and got straight to the point. "Was that Riley?"

"That's none of your business." John sneered.

"Your mother told me to keep an eye on you." She persisted.

"Yeah, well, that doesn't mean you have to go everywhere I do."

"Yes, it does."

Cameron studied John's face and noticed that it was burning in frustration. For the past week it had been doing so when they talked. She knew that because of the whole birthday incident, he was still pissed off at her because of it.

" _Just because my mother said it, Doesn't make it so. I'm not a child anymore. I could go to the store, or see a friend, or….. do whatever the hell else people like me do.  
_

" _There are no other people like you."_

Again, his face seemed to flush at every word she said. "Just drop me off." He mumbled and made his way to the passenger seat of the truck. She followed and began to head to the driver's seat.

 _Cameron knew she wasn't going to do so. She planned on taking him back home, where he would be safe._

 _But as she sat back down and closed the door, John closed the side door and began to bolt down the parking lot. Cameron immediately gave chase to him, but he was already down the nearest stairwell that led to the highway down below. He was already gone._

During that time John didn't understand the inner meaning of her words. She didn't address him as John Connor, the future leader of mankind, she described him as a good person, a kind person, her best and only friend, just John.

•••

There was another time Cameron could remember when John had pushed her away. Became distant when she showed concern.

 _Right after finding and terminating Myron Stark: the T-triple eight that was accidentally sent back to 1920 instead of 2010, she came home and did all of her chores before everyone woke up. But she was certainly surprised to find that John wasn't home when she expected him to be. He had snuck out and spent time with Riley._

" _Where were you all night?"_

 _She could see the change of tone in his voice when he spoke. She could tell he was lying to her face. She then noticed something foreign on his neck. Something that definitely wasn't there the last time she saw him._

 _"Out." John responded._

 _Cameron stepped closer to John and ran her finger across his neck and took a sample of the substance. It was a light reddish color. She immediately began running analysis on the ingredients used. "Carbon chain C24, lanolin and red dye number 27." She stared blankly at her fingers. She then gazed up at him, with an annoyed look engraved on her face. "You were with Riley."_

 _John didn't respond. Instead he just snorted and began to climb the stairs. He stopped once just to look at Cameron once before continuing up and to his room. John had seemed to take her concern as some joke. He didn't take her seriously anymore._

 _That hint of taunting had caused Cameron's hand to twitch slightly in anger. The laundry basket she held, had cracked, and some clothes had fallen out, and onto the floor. Sarah later did question her about what happened to the basket but she just made an excuse: Everything breaks sooner or later._

 _Cameron understood the meaning of the red mark over his neck. It meant Riley's lips touched John's neck. They had kissed. This single conclusion sent negative feedback into her CPU. Her left hand twitched and she cracked the basket in her hand. She didn't know why but she wanted to break something badly at that time._

 _Preferably, she imagined Riley's neck._

•••

 _The ride to Mexico was long and it was painful. For John at least. After destroying Cromartie, and burying him in the desert, Sarah had ordered them to return with some thermite so they could be rid of the body as well. A burden they didn't want to live with, even though there was a small chance of someone finding it. No chances could be taken. They had to make sure the future was definite if they were going to destroy Skynet._

 _The car ride was very quiet, and John was driving in silence. She knew he didn't want to talk. Even if she were to start a conversation, John would most definitely shoot her down before she would be able to finish a single sentence._

 _Even though she couldn't get bored like how humans did, she did not envy the silence. It was uncomfortable. So she just took to looking out of the window, watching as bushes, and trees passed by so quick, she could barely notice any details. She then decided to do something that peaked her curiosity. She rolled down the window and stuck her hand out, as her hand began to ride the wave of the wind's current._

 _It was cold to the touch. The wind had pushed her hand with all of its might, and almost even succeeding at certain times. It fascinated Cameron to feel something so foreign feel so comforting. She looked in front and saw another car in front of them and noticed something unusual. A man had one foot out of the vehicle's window and was barefoot. Her curiosity peaked further when she looked back at her hand and wondered what the wind pull would feel like between her toes. She wondered if it would feel different._

 _Cameron removed her boots, and socks from her feet, and she copied the man's actions and stuck her foot out of the window. She was immediately introduced to the coldness as her hand had just recently felt, and the breeze pushing it back._

 _Feeling the wind hit his face repeatedly, John began to feel irritated and turned his head to tell Cameron to roll the window back up. But what he saw next brought confusion to him as he saw his Terminator protector, sticking her feet out of the window, and wiggling her toes. "What are you doing?"_

 _She didn't face him, but answered. "Feeling what it's like to get away from it all."_

 _"I don't think you are." John sighed annoyingly._

 _"What do you mean?" Cameron inquired, as she turned her head and looked at John in confusion._

 _"If by feelings you mean emotions, I'm pretty sure you still don't have any of those. And if by feelings you mean what it feels like to have the wind blow through your toes or your hair…" John sighed again. "I'm pretty sure you can't feel that either."_

 _"I don't think you understand how we work." Cameron the car bombing, John had stopped asking questions about what she could do. What she was capable of. "I have sensation... I feel... I wouldn't be worth much if I couldn't feel."_

" _Whatever. Just roll up the window. It's annoying when the wind keeps hitting my face while I'm trying to drive." John gave her a long piercing glare until she complied and removed her feet from the car window. She rolled it up and put back on her boots. John shook his head in annoyance and focused his attention back onto the road._

 _It felt as if he was better off without her by his side. His face surely displayed it. He didn't make any attempt to look back at her, even glance at her for one second. He actually believed that she was no different from the machines that hunted him his entire life. No matter what attempt she made to change his mind, he would no longer consider thinking of her any differently. To him she was just a machine._

More tears fell from her eyes after recalling those hurtful moments between her and John. But suddenly she heard something inside the mill.

"We must go now." Weaver insisted.

"Yes." Cameron agreed.

It was time for them to go because the terminator that was buried under the rubble has already recovered.

* * *

 **ZEIRA CORP, LATER**

Weaver led Cameron to the basement where John Henry was waiting for them, with Savannah.

Weaver went to the little girl who was playing with John Henry.

"Savannah. Come here." Weaver called gently. The little girl obeyed and ran up to Weaver. "I will be gone for a while with John Henry. You will stay with Mr. Ellison and be a good girl, alright?"

Savannah's eyes immediately began to well with tears after hearing that her mommy is going away. "When will you be back?" She asked in a sad tone.

"I will be back soon." She assured the little child.

"What about John Henry? Will he come back as well?" Savannah asked looking at John Henry.

"Yes." Weaver said.

Then Savannah's eyes fell on Cameron and her visible wounds. "What happened to her?"

"We got into a fight, but she will be okay-"

"Miss Weaver. We have an unexpected guest." John Henry cut Weaver off. The screen behind him showed the machine making her way down the stairwell.

"How much time?" Weaver demanded as she stood back up.

"5 minutes, 29 seconds approximately." John Henry answered.

Weaver tapped on her phone and called Ellison. He arrived very quickly and rushed inside the room. "Miss Weaver, you called?" Ellison asked.

"Yes. But before that, Savannah it's time to leave. Go grab your things." She ordered the little child. Savannah obeyed without question and went up to the table to grab her toys and puts them into her small pink bag. Weaver then turned to the former agent. "Mr. Ellison, I have two important tasks for you."

"What are they?" Ellison inquired.

"You have to get Savannah to the Connors. And…." Weaver trailed off, when her eyes fell on Cameron. The TOK-715 seemed almost sad. She had no idea how different Cameron's model was but she knew that Cameron was unique, one of a kind.

"Mr. Ellison…." It was Cameron.

"Y… Yes?" He asked hesitantly. He was still afraid of John Connor's machine.

"Will you give a message to John when you see him?" Cameron asked gently.

"Uhh…. Sure." Ellison agreed. "What's the message?"

"I didn't kill Riley." Cameron said. "Give this message to John. He will understand."

"Okay. Consider it done." Ellison gave a simple nod.

"Thank you Mr. Ellison." Cameron smiled slightly before sitting down on the chair in front of her.

Instantly John Henry produced a knife in his hand. Ellison wasn't sure what was happening. Especially the reason why Cameron sat down in the chair and why John Henry was holding a small pocket knife.

"What's going on?" Ellison asked.

"A terminator is after John Henry. I have to keep him safe and in order to do that he needs to be mobile. So, Cameron agreed to help us by giving her chip to him." Weaver explained. "That's where your second task comes in, Mr. Ellison. You have to take both Savannah and Cameron's body back to the Connors. This is important."

"Where will you go?" Ellison asked.

"Not where, Mr. Ellison, but when." Weaver answered.

"What?" Ellison couldn't understand what Weaver said. "What do you mean when?" Weaver didn't explain further but Ellison watched with horror as John Henry cut into Cameron's skull and extracted her chip, rendering her offline. Then John Henry begin to cut his own head open. Ellison wasn't sure whether he could see it any longer but at that moment the whole building shook from a loud blast.

"What the hell is going on?" Ellison asked the security but he could hear only shrieks, screams and gunfire.

"She is faster than I predicted." John Henry said after disconnecting the chord from the back of his head.

"Then we need to move." Weaver ordered as she started typing into a computer console in the wall behind John Henry.

Ellison watched in confusion as the room went dark, and a large transparent bubble appeared, followed by crackling blue sparks. Both Weaver and John Henry were engulfed, and within a few seconds they were gone. All that was left was Cameron sitting at the same table John Henry used to occupy. Ellison went to get Cameron's body but at that moment the building shook again and a huge chunk of a ceiling got loose and fell on Cameron's body.

"Damn." Ellison cursed under his breath.

Now he had no way to recover Cameron's body from underneath that concrete. It was practically impossible to move it. But as soon as Ellison left the room he heard a blast coming from behind him. He turned his head only to see that the female machine was stalking its way down the hall. There was no time to grab both Savannah and Cameron if he wanted to make it out alive. There were only two options now. Either he saves Savannah and they both live, or he risks staying here to save Cameron's body at the cost of risking not just his, but also Savannah's life. He had no choice but to leave Cameron's body. At least he could save Savannah, perhaps. There was nothing left of it. He ran as fast as he could. He retrieved Savannah and went to the garage behind Zeira Corp, where there was Ellison's company car waiting for them. Ellison wasted no time in getting Savannah inside the car and drove away from there as fast as he could without drawing any attention.

* * *

Ellison had escaped with Savannah but the poor security guards of Zeira Corp faced their gruesome death in the hands of a girly looking death. She showed no mercy to anyone. It seemed she was furious about something. The AK-12 assault rifle in her hand dropped bodies around her one after another. She took several bullets to her face and body but she didn't even flinch. It was like hitting a rock wall with paper balls.

Once she was inside staffs ran away in several directions, trying to save their life. Her eyes glowed green as she tried to locate her target. Several people saw that and screamed in horror. One guard was foolish enough to get in her way. She didn't need to shoot him, she just broke his neck with a sickening punch. At that moment several drones arrived out of nowhere outside Zeira Corp and began to rain missiles on the building. Some parts of the large building was blasted apart and several people fell down from the top floors and faced their inevitable deaths. It was a chaos.

She grabbed one of the staffs for interrogation. "Where is the AI?" She asked in a cold tone.

"Wha….. What AI?" The man asked fearfully.

"The AI Weaver built. Where is it?" She asked again.

"I…. I don't know what you are talking about." The man answered honestly.

She analyzed the man in her hold. He was telling the truth. It meant that the T-1001 was secretive of the AI, not even the members of the Zeira Corp knew about it. She looked at the mirror behind the man and saw the damage on her face. With a snap of her finger she broke the man's neck easily. Then for a few seconds she held onto his dead body and slowly all the damage on her face vanished. She threw the dead body away like a doll. She knew the most probable location of the AI would be the basement since it is the only place where the staff members of the Zeira Corp doesn't visit or allowed to visit. Within a few moments she was down to the basement and quickly located the room of the TDE. Her eyes scanned the destruction inside the room. There was no trace of the AI or the T-1001. She was about to leave to search in another location but suddenly her eyes fell on a hand sticking out from underneath a large concrete slab. She would've ignored it if not for the gleaming metal being seen from the damaged skin on the hand. Curiously she easily lifted the concrete slab from top of the body. Her eyes widened immediately because her scan immediately recognized the body lying there.

 **TARGET IDENTIFIED: PRIMARY TARGET CAMERON CONNOR**

 **STATUS: TERMINATED**

She pulled Cameron's head up and saw the chip missing from inside her head. She easily realized what happened. Cameron Connor sacrificed herself so the AI, John Henry could be mobile. She may have failed in her mission to terminate John Henry and the T-1001 disguised as Catherine Weaver, but she did complete one of her primary missions. Skynet's arch enemy: Cameron Connor was terminated. A cruel smile formed on her unemotional face after she lifted up Cameron's body onto her shoulders and left the basement.

* * *

"Keep it under sixty. We don't want the cops on our back right now." Sarah ordered. She did her best not to bring up such a sensitive topic right now. One that John was still clearly stuck on. She could see the way he gazed through the rear windshield, not daring to take his eyes off of it. "Did John sent you?"

"No problemo." The T-800 replied.

John was trying to formulate a plan to escape, but at the terminator's reply, his head instantly snapped towards the T-800. "How do you know those particular words?" John questioned. He was totally surprised. Sarah was surprised too.

The T-800 first turned his head towards Sarah. "John Connor didn't send me here." Then he turned his attention towards John. "You taught those words to me." He answered.

"You mean future me?" John asked.

"No. You. Not General John Connor." The terminator replied.

"How is that even possible? I am meeting you for the first time." John said.

"Yes. We met you just a moment ago. How can my son teach you anything?" Sarah agreed with John.

"I think the metal is going haywire." Derek murmured under his breath.

"I was originally sent back in 1995 by future John Connor to protect you." The T-800 said looking at John. "I had fulfilled my mission and destroying my existence was the best choice. We thought Skynet was stopped but it was not the case. We merely postponed Judgement Day. To ensure its survival Skynet sent terminators back in time to kill John Connor again. So, a decision was taken in the present timeline regarding the security of John Connor and I was chosen as the best protector he can have." The T-800 explained.

Both Sarah and John's eyes turned wide in disbelief. John couldn't believe it.

 _This is his Uncle Bob? How is that even possible? Uncle Bob went into the molten steel in front of him years ago._

"This is not possible. I saw him going into the molten steel years ago. He couldn't have survived that." John said.

"True. I did it myself. He requested me to do it." Sarah agreed.

"Yes. But only my endoskeleton went into the molten steel, my chip survived. After the T-1000 destroyed my primary power core, I went offline until my secondary power source was activated. But within that time my chip was replaced with another chip. My chip was brought back in the current timeline and inserted into a new endoskeleton."

Now both John and Sarah understood. But there are a few things they still don't understand. "Why someone would take the trouble to bring your chip back from the past? That person would have programmed another one like you and sent him to protect my son."

"Yes. But my chip was chosen because in 1995 John Connor changed my chip to read and write mode, so that I could learn. It was success. I learned many things and human emotions is one of them although I cannot express them myself. But the main reason is John's emotional attachment with me. John needed a friend because being John Connor is always lonely." Uncle Bob explained.

Sarah was stunned. Derek too and John was speechless.

 _Who cares so much about him that this person went into so much trouble just for him without a second thought?_

"Who sent you here?" John asked. He have a suspicion who may have done this because there is only one person who would go to that length just for his happiness.

"Cameron." Uncle Bob revealed. Everyone's eyes widened. "She was the one who replaced my chip and brought it back."

John just didn't know how to react after knowing what Cameron did for him. This is the very proof that she is not a simple machine, she is much more than that. There can also be no better proof of her devotion and love to him.

Tears begin to fall freely from his eyes when he remembered how badly he treated her.

"Wait. How did she travelled back to the past? Is there a TDE we don't know about?" Sarah asked. She was still in complete awe after hearing what Cameron did for her son. What she did was not possible for a machine because it was a human thing to do. It was her proof of Cameron's devotion towards her son and….. love. She couldn't believe she just thought that but she knew it was true.

She realized one thing for sure: _Cameron loved her son dearly._ She had to acknowledge the fact, no matter how impossible it sounds.

* * *

B **ACK AT THE CONNOR SAFEHOUSE, A FEW HOURS LATER**

"Where is John?" Derek asked Sarah who was sipping coffee from the cup in her hand.

"He is in his room." Sarah answered.

"And the metal?"

"Standing guard outside his door."

"Can we trust it?" Derek asked.

Sarah sighed, perhaps she was a bit irritated but she controlled her temper. "Look, I don't like this more than you do. But we don't have a choice right now. He is the best protection John can have right now and for him I am ready to put my feelings aside." Sarah explained.

"If you say so." Derek huffed. He was thinking about whether he should tell Sarah about the information he learned from the strange terminator. But his thoughts were interrupted by the gentle knock on the door.

At once Sarah and Derek had their guns out. It kind of became like a habit to them. Sarah cautiously approached the door and opened it slightly. When she saw the familiar face outside she relaxed a bit and opened the door wide for the visitor.

"Ellison…..What do you want here?" Sarah asked. Then she spotted a little girl poking her head cautiously from behind Mr Ellison's legs. "Who is she?"

" _She_ is Savannah Weaver." Ellison introduced. Sarah looked down at the little girl and smiled softly. She had no intention of scaring Savannah. "She is one of the reasons why I am here."

"Come in first." Sarah let them in and closed the door.

Ellison sat down on the sofa beside Savannah. Sarah gave another reassuring smile to the little girl to imply to her that she has nothing to fear.

"Explain." Sarah kindly ordered Ellison.

"Miss Weaver sent her daughter to you, after she left with John Henry. She told me that you will keep her safe." Ellison said while looking at the innocent child beside him.

Sarah wanted to protest but Ellison immediately cut her off. "There is also a message for John."

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "Message from who? Is that a secret message?"

"I suppose not."

"Then tell me." Sarah insisted.

"But…." Ellison hesitated.

"There are no buts…. John is too tired."

"Alright. Well the message said, 'I didn't kill Riley.ʼ That's all she said."

Sarah and Derek exchanged looks but didn't say anything. But Derek had to speak at that moment. "I don't think she did either."

Sarah's head snapped towards Derek in surprise. "What are you saying? How can you be so sure?"

Derek looked at Sarah and sighed. "Because the day I was kidnapped I visited the morgue to see Riley's body. There were obvious signs of struggle on her body and a few nail marks. She fought against her killer. If the me….. Cameron killed her she couldn't even survive long enough to struggle."

Sarah nodded in understanding. Then she looked back at Ellison. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes. Actually I was to deliver Cameron's body to you people. That's what Miss Weaver ordered….." Ellison was cut off by Sarah.

"Wait…. What do you mean by that?" Sarah asked.

"Well….I…" Ellison couldn't say anything.

Seeing his hesitation Sarah prepared herself for the worst news. "What happened to her?"

Still Ellison didn't say anything.

"Ellison!" Sarah raised her voice slightly.

Ellison sighed before answering. "She is gone. You could say dead."

Just in the next moment there was a sound of glass breaking. Everyone quickly turned their heads at the direction of the sound, only to see a broken glass on the floor and John standing there. His eyes were wide open in disbelief, and streams of tears were already pouring down from his green eyes.

"John…." Sarah tried saying, but was immediately stopped when her son stormed off while crying and slammed the door to his room, shut.


	9. Not as planned

John couldn't believe what he just heard from Ellison. Cameron is gone? She is dead? No. It cannot be. She told him that she is parting her ways with him, but he never even believed that she will be gone. Forever, like this. He was planning a way to persuade Uncle Bob in helping him to find Cameron. But there's no point in it right now because she is gone. She left him. He rushed to his room and slammed the door shut.

As soon as the door closed, he slid down and started sobbing into his knees. His world felt like it was suddenly destroyed. Without her, was there any purpose? Sure he loved his mother and uncle, but Cameron was something else to him. She meant the world to him. But she never got to know that and it was all his fault. He pushed her away after the car explosion, then they got close again. But Riley's death forced him to question her once again. He was so sure that she killed Riley that she blamed her for it without thinking straight. Cameron repeatedly told him that she didn't do it, but he didn't listen. He never believed her. Instead, he behaved terribly to her, pushed her away like he didn't care at all, treated her like a… a machine. But now the message from Ellison and Derek's confession proved that she wasn't lying.

But what will he do now without her? What's the point? He lost her….. And without her.

John just couldn't think anymore. More tears fell from his eyes. His eyes remained closed while he thought about Cameron. Her innocence, her willingness to learn, her complete devotion to him. How that blank terminator stare, would turn into that of life. How they seemed to sparkle when she looked at him. That beautiful smile would make him feel weak. Instances like those were what he cherished about her. How much her personality has grown over the time she had spent time with he and his mother. Getting to know her, having the chance to teach her, and… even falling in love with her… After all that they had been through, at the end of the day, he wrongfully treated her like a machine and not the person she was becoming.

Suddenly John's eyes opened. They were blank as he stared at the floor. There was no trace of sorrow, no sadness. It instead was replaced and fueled by pain and anger. He had a purpose now. Destroy those, who killed her, even if it kills him.

He rubbed the tears away, opened the door and rushed down the stairs to the living room where Ellison was talking with his mom and Derek. Seeing him, his mother tried to say something but he ignored her for the moment and grabbed Ellison by the collar.

Ellison was taken aback at John's violent behaviour. Even Sarah was surprised.

"Tell me exactly what happened." John demanded in a threatening manner towards the former FBI agent.

"Okay." Ellison nodded, and raised his hands in surrender. His eyes darted momentarily to the huge man standing a few feet away from John. Savannah was clearly taken aback by this sudden display as well. To her, John was nice. He was the one who taught her how to tie her shoes.

"I don't know the reasons. But when I saw them, Cameron told me to give you that message. Cameron sat down in a chair, and _John Henry_ took her chip so that he could be mobile. He didn't force her. Cameron gave it up willingly. All I remember happening next was that they disappeared." Ellison explained.

"Wait who is….." Sarah tried to say but was cut off by John.

"Where did they go?" John demanded once more. Mentally, he began fearing the worst.

"I don't know," Ellison truthfully admitted. "Miss Weaver didn't answer. She just requested me to bring Cameron's body back to you. But before I could retrieve it, an explosion was detonated, and her body was trapped under the rubble. It was impossible for me to move. I could've tried but I had no time. I had to get Savannah out of there. That machine was already wreaking havoc in Zeira Corp."

"What machine? Why was it there?" Sarah pressed.

"The machine that looks like a teenage girl. Much like Cameron… but far more dangerous. And cruel." Ellison paused for a moment. "I think it was there for John Henry."

"Who is John Henry?" Sarah crossed her arms. The first she was hearing about this person, and judging by Ellison's explanation, he must've been a direct threat to Skynet in the future.

"He's my friend." Savannah answered.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Your friend?"

"Yes. But he's also a robot." Savannah said innocently.

"What?! Another machine?" Sarah glared at Ellison.

 _Typical Sarah Connor,_ Ellison thought. Everytime the concept of machines were merely even mentioned, she was already all over it. She had good reasons, sure, but now this was just pure paranoia. "Weaver was developing something. An artificial intelligence-"

Before Ellison had a chance to even continue, Sarah was already on him. "What do you mean she was developing one?" She exclaimed in utter disbelief.

Ellison glared up at the woman with crazy written in her eyes. Despite her being right about this whole machine fiasco, she could still be declared as mentally unstable. If worse came to pass, and Sarah were to be arrested, she would be put in a more high security insane asylum.

"As I was saying, she developed this artificial intelligence, and assigned me to teach it ethics and morals."

"Teaching a machine right and wrong," Sarah scoffed. Although she did receive a few looks from John and Uncle Bob alike, she immediately focused back on the former agent. "What else did you do with this machine? Hmm? You give it toys and let it eat ice cream?"

"It was like a child, yes. But it isn't what you think it is."

"Has anything we told you, not stick? Or are you just dumber than we take you for?" Derek quipped.

"Even I believed you were smarter than this." Sarah sighed in defeat.

"John Henry is not Skynet." Ellison insisted calmly. "If you saw how he interacted with people, even Savannah, you would see that he isn't the rogue AI you prophesied. If he was Skynet, I believe Cameron would've never given up her chip to give him freedom. I guess she knew about him, that's why she did what she did. And especially now that he's gone, I guess you don't have to even worry about it much, anymore."

John let go of Ellison. It was too much for him to take. Cameron had given up her chip. Why would she do that? Was it him? Was his resentment of her what drove herself to willingly give herself up? After the car bomb, he distanced himself away from her, then recently he only started to become closer with her again. After wrongfully blaming her for Riley's sudden death, did he finally succeeded in pushing her away?

* * *

It had been hours since Ellison gave the news about Cameron, John Henry, and the whereabouts of Catherine Weaver. From what Ellison explained, they were either dead, or somehow missing. Derek wasn't sure where they went, or even if they went anywhere at all. All Ellison mentioned was that they disappeared in thin air. One moment they were there, and the next, they were gone. It didn't make sense to him. Especially when it was all hour of the morning and the sun was due to rise in an hour or so.

Derek couldn't sleep with this ravenging his mind. He hated Cameron, sure, but after what she did he couldn't hate her anymore. She risked everything, even _John's_ life to save him. HIM! After all she did for him, he felt mixed about the machine now. No mere tin can would do that. Especially when their mission heavily relied on it. What that other machine said, he agreed with. He was indeed expendable. He was a soldier, a puppet that would wear away the more he was used. Him being caught and baited by that… that Tin bitch. He knew that he wasn't worth the concern. It was him that was caught. It was him that should have died in that warehouse. He would have If it meant that wretched machine would stay away from his nephew. Even if it meant keeping Tin Miss alive.

He wasn't sure what to think about Cameron anymore. It- she saved him. She did one of the most human things a machine could ever do, and follow a very honorable, yet stupid code: leave no man behind. Even if she only did it for John, he knew that Cameron was more than just a killing machine. A piece of scrap. She was indeed different, and she was definitely not just a terminator. Even if she was designed that way.

Derek slapped himself, and sat up. He was certainly glad to finally have his own bed in this safehouse. But what use was it, if he couldn't sleep? After the previous two being owned by Cameron, whom did not sleep by the way. When he was given a couch while the machine was given the best bed in the whole damn house. Even John was forced to resting his head on a little four year old's bed. He definitely wondered how the young leader was able to sleep peacefully. Or if he even slept at all. With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Derek wondered how John was able to sleep.

Derek picked up his phone and looked flipped it open to look at the screen: 5:57 a.m.

The sun would be rising within the hour. So what was the point of getting sleep if he could just use that valuable time to focus on the mission? His own mission.

Derek slipped on his boots, and threw his coat on. On the way out, he grabbed his favorite handgun, and made his way to the door, and exited his room, where he strolled into the small living room. As he turned the knob to the front door, he heard the floorboards creak. As much as he wanted to turn around and shoot was behind him, he knew there was no point to it, besides waking everyone in the whole house.

"What the hell do you want?" He asked the machine standing behind him. The big hulking T-800 that Sarah and John called Uncle Bob. He wasn't sure how they knew him, and how he knew them. Honestly he didn't care, but T-800's, and T-888's, he despised the most out of all other models. The 800s were huge and looked human. Their predecessors: the T-600's, and the T-700's at least were easy to differentiate from humans. That rubber skin was a God sent, until Skynet decided to shove it's finger up the humans asses, and create the model that stood before him. The model which was responsible for so many deaths during the war. Some even say, they had the highest death count of any other machine that surpassed it.

"Where are you going?" Bob demanded stoically.

 _Don't make me turn you into a nice metal table!_ "Out," Derek settled for answering. Machines were useless to threaten. Especially the older models. Even if John and Sarah had mentioned that he developed a unique sense of humor. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No." Bob simply responded. "I have to know where you are going so I can inform John."

"Why does he have to know where I'm going?" Derek inquired confusingly.

"It is in his best interests if he is around those who care about him. I read that family is the best form of therapy for someone his age."

 _I hate when machines use the guilt trip method._ "Tell him I am going to get breakfast for everyone."

The machine nodded in acceptance, and turned on his heels and walked to the sofa where Ellison's suit jacket was neatly placed upon. Derek saw as Uncle Bob withdrew a wallet, and take out a fifty dollar bill before handing it to Derek. "You will need money if you are planning on retrieving everyone breakfast." Bob simply stated. Derek forced a smirk, and snatched the cash from the machines hands, before storming out of the house. Once outside he navigated towards his truck and hopped in.

Upon closing the door, Derek fished his phone from his pocket, and punched in several numbers into it, before putting it up to his ear. There was a long ring, until someone on the other end picked up, and answered with a hoarse tone of voice.

" _Hello?"_

"Jesse, it's Derek."

" _Hey baby. Why are you calling so early?"_

"Look, John's machine: Cameron... She's dead." Derek could tell that as those words left his mouth, Jesse had sounded more like herself and began to sound more enthusiastic. _"Really? What happened?"_

"I can explain later. I need you to meet me at _Amigos Café."_

" _Uhhh, yeah. Sure, I'll be there in a few."_

"Good." Derek nodded, and ended the call. He put his phone back into his pocket and started the truck. It was time to see what Jesse had to say in regards to Riley's death. Maybe if she knew who caused it, then maybe they could find who may be a possible threat to John. That poor girl deserves justice. And maybe Jesse could shed some light on some of these recent events. This new machine in particular. Maybe she knows something that he does not.

 _Damn good thing I didn't forget about the breakfast. Amigos has the best burritos._

* * *

Jesse sat in her own little secluded area inside the small Mexican themed Café. She had arrived only twenty minutes ago, and was tapping her finger on the table in boredom. She had already drank half a cup of her coffee, but didn't touch it much, besides that. She looked down at her phone: 6:29 a.m. Derek was late. This wasn't the first time she had been here. It was a step up from always meeting in her apartment. Plus the burritos here were amazing. Maybe she'd order one before Derek arrived.

The café was a quite useful meeting place. It was a close enough location that Derek would've been here by now. Even if putting the problem with Los Angeles traffic, he would arrived. Something felt off. Being a paranoid ex Resistance fighter, Jesse scoped out the entire café for the third time. Like those times, it was the same. People either ordering coffee, and food, or people on their laptops and phones. She brushed it off, and went back to her coffee, and took a sip. Now it was lukewarm. Not that she cared or anything. Having coffee at all was more than enough to satisfy her. Especially when it was very rare in the future.

She looked down at her phone again: 6:32 a.m. _Where is he? He wanted to meet so why is he the one that is late?_ Jesse irritably snapped her phone shut, and took a downed the rest of her coffee in one go. She was annoyed at the fact that she was waiting after twenty minutes, and he still hadn't shown up. Leaving was probably a good option. It would serve Derek best if she left, instead of standing her up. He could've at least called.

Jesse stood up and went up to the counter where she waved down one of the baristas. She was very attractive. Appeared to be around fifteen to sixteen years old. Had a beautiful smile. And had beautiful bright blonde hair that was tied in a neat ponytail. Very similar to how Riley tied her hair…

"Uhhh, excuse me, ma'am? Do you need anything?" The blonde batista waved her hands in front of her face.

Jesse shook her head and forced a smile. "No. Love. Just paying for the coffee." _Damn, I must have spaced out. I can't allow that to keep happening!_

"That's fine," The young girl smiled. Jesse handed her a five and two ones where the barista handed her back some change. The girl looked at Jesse, and appeared to look very concerned. "Are you okay?"

Jesse looked at the girl with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You look a little beaten up," The barista pointed at her own face to emphasize her point further. "Are you okay?"

Jesse gave the girl a piercing glare. "What is to you, huh? You have a problem with me looking a little beat up?" The girl shook her head and backed up slightly. "Good, because I'm sure a pretty little thing like you will end up in a ditch by the end of the week, if you keep up the little nice, and caring teenager charade!" The whole Café turned went silent, and everyone stared at Jesse. The little barista began to whimper and ran away into the back, where sobbing could be heard. Knowing that too much attention was drawn, she knew that it was best if she left.

Jesse turned and made her way to the door. But when she placed her hand on the handle, she randomly glanced outside the window. She saw a young, beautiful brunette walk by the café she was still in. But this was no ordinary brunette. Jesse opened the door, and dashed outside where she saw the backside of the young girl walking by. She wasn't sure if what she saw was true or not. Derek said that the metal was dead. She took a step forward, and began following this brunette, as she kept walking straight. She broke out in a small jog, in attempts to catch up to this girl. She neared closer and closer to the brunette, and reached out to grab her shoulder, until she felt something touch hers. She quickly turned around, and pulled her gun of who touched her, and found it to be Derek. Luckily he had grabbed the arm that was reaching for the weapon, and managed to keep it concealed.

"What the hell are you doing? I told you to meet me at the Café."

"Don't touch me!" Jesse snarled and slapped Derek's hand away. In complete surprise, he heeded her request and stepped back. "Where the hell were you?" She then asked sternly.

"I had to find a parking spot." Derek mentioned. "What is wrong with you Jesse?"

Jesse looked back down the sidewalk, and found it empty. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, trying to compose herself. "It's… it's nothing." She murmured.

"Okay, good." Derek unconvincingly accepted. "Well let's get inside then." Jesse agreed and followed Derek back into the café. Definitely a place she didn't want to return to so soon. Upon entering, the same barista was being comforted by another worker. The young blonde was shocked to see Jesse and looked away from her, in fear that she may receive another threat. Derek noticed this and nudged Jesse along. She followed and the two sat at the same table. But Jesse kept staring at the one young barista. Derek followed her gaze and too looked at the young blonde.

"Why is that girl crying?" Derek then asked. Jesse looked at the man in confusion. "Did you say something to her?" He then clarified.

"Let's not get off topic, love." Jesse shook her head. "Let's talk about why you wanted to meet here."

Derek looked at her in puzzlement. She avoided his question. Probably didn't want to talk about it, he assumed. "Okay, so we have a new problem."

"A new problem?" Jesse inquired. "I thought you said Connor's metal whore is gone?"

Derek flinched at the term Jesse used. Previously he wouldn't have. But now….. After what she did…

"It's not about her." Derek corrected.

"Her? Is this you Derek? Since when did you start referring to that metal as _'Her'_?" Jesse asked angrily.

"Alright. It..." He reluctantly corrected himself. "It is gone. Not coming back. Dead you can say. But the new problem is that there's another metal and it is far more dangerous. It kidnapped me to use me as a bait to bring out John."

"Kidnapped you? Since when did metals start kidnapping people?" Jesse scoffed. "Metal never took prisoners unless under the order to, by Skynet itself. That was only in the future when you would be put into work camps and forced to work to death. But in the past? There is no reason for a machine to kidnap you. It would only put you in so much pain until you gave it the information it required. Then it would kill you."

"True. But this one is different. It is cruel and extremely dangerous. It wanted John." Derek purposely lied. He didn't want to tell Jesse that it wanted Cameron more than John.

"Strange. Go on." Jesse continued to listen intently, and her curiosity rising.

"That's why I wanted to meet. Do you know anything about this machine? You've mentioned seeing an advanced terminator before."

Jesse shook her head. "I did see an advanced metal. But what you're describing. I have to say no. I've never seen a machine like this before." Derek sighed in defeat and scratched the back of his head. So far he was getting nowhere. He came here, hoping that Jesse would have some sort of useful information. Something that would be a solid lead, and possibly a hint on how this piece of scrap can be destroyed.

Derek then looked up at Jesse's face, and for the first time… he actually noticed that she was in terrible shape. A black eye, and broken lip. And even a dozen scratches that were covered with multiple bandages. "Your face. What happened?"

"Just a little old fashioned scuffle, Derek. Nothing to worry about." Jesse muttered with reserve. Derek looked down at her hands as she began to twiddle her thumbs. He saw a glint mark on her wrist, which aroused curiosity in Derek. He lifted her jacket sleeve, and saw over half a dozen scratches and bruises on her wrist alone. Jesse immediately snatched her arm away from Derek and pulled down her sleeve to cover her arm.

"Jesse…. What the hell happened to you?"

"Like I said, Derek-"

"Don't you tell me it was nothing!" Derek demanded. He saw the cuts on her arms and face. They were made by fingernails, same ones as he saw on Riley's body. Reality struck him. The marks on Riley were as similar to those that were located on Jesse. Riley had broken fingernails, bruised and bloody knuckles. Jesse had scratches on her face and arms. She had bruises on her face. It wasn't just a coincidence. All of these clues were telling him that it was Jesse who killed Riley. He was about to confront her but suddenly the calm and anxious expression on Jesse's face turned into anger and rage.

Jesse and Derek were sitting facing each other but she was the one who was watching the door of the café. She had a feeling that somehow, Derek seems to suspect her about Riley's death and she was thinking about how to dodge the topic. But at that moment her eyes fell on the door of the café and immediately she gasped slightly. A young beautiful girl, with brown hair cascading down to her shoulder, walked inside the cafe. It was _her…._ _It, the metal._ But how? Derek told her that it was scraped? She immediately came to the conclusion that Derek must have lied to her. _Betrayal._ Infuriated, she turned to Derek with hate filling her eyes.

"You goddamn liar!" Jesse snarled at Derek.

Derek was totally taken aback at her sudden outburst.

"What?!" He asked bewildered at her sudden change of behaviour.

"You knew. You knew that I killed that bitch: Riley! You knew, and you asked me to meet you here. So _it_!" Jesse pointed at the brunette at the counter. "Can kill me!" Jesse snapped at Derek. Derek's eyes widened at her confession. So what he suspected was true indeed.

Everyone inside the café went silent, and looked at the two once more.

Upon following her accusing finger, Derek too saw the young girl standing a few feet before him. His jaw dropped in utter amazement. _Cameron?_

"I'd rather shoot myself, than have a fucking metal do it to me!" Jesse immediately pulled her handgun, and took aim at the brunette. Immediately reacting to this sudden display of craziness, Derek pushed Jesse's arm away from the girl, just as she pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed throughout the café, and everyone began to runaway in fright. Jesse instantly freed her arm from Derek, and used the butt of her handgun, to bash his nose, causing him to fall to the ground.

Jesse looked on as the brunette had bolted out of the café. She was beyond confused. Why was a machine running away? Did she finally scared the metal? But how? They never displayed fear or any other emotion. But nonetheless, Jesse felt satisfaction in seeing her running away. It just made this game much more interesting.

She ran out of the shop, and fired off a few more shots at the brunette, before having to reload her weapon, while she sprinted after her. Everyone on the street had scurried away in panic as the thunderclap of the gun had been loudly heard. People dove behind cars, some had went prone, hoping to avoid being harmed. It was chaos as all they could see was a raven haired woman, chasing a young brunette teenager with a mission to kill.

Jesse had chased the young girl into an alleyway, where she was cut off by some construction of an underground pipe. The brunette was on the other side already, looking at Jesse as she backed away, and continued to flee. Jesse wouldn't have any of this. She was determined. In one jump, she barely made it across, and continued her chase. She was delighted to find out that the metal was actually quite shitty at endurance, and speed, because she was able to catch up to her with ease. The girl's running posture was quite strange, if she had to admit. But metal was always strange. While still sprinting after the girl, Jesse fired off another round, and the brunette stumbled, before falling hard onto the ground. She looked at her leg, and winced in pain as her calf was bleeding very badly.

The young brunette looked up in horror as Jesse had menacingly approached her, and had the gun aimed at her head. "Guess I got you now, Tin Bitch!" Jesse snickered, as she pulled the hammer of her gun back. The brunette screwed her eyes shut, awaiting the bullet that would take her life. But it never came. Instead she heard another voice shout out.

"Jesse! Stop!" Jesse looked up, and saw Derek with his gun aimed at her. She didn't take her aim off of the brunette and just started at Derek with disbelief.

"You are defending the metal?" She scoffed. " You know what it had done, Derek! It has corrupted Connor! Our General! I thought you were on my side! You hate metal as much as I do!"

Derek took a step forward. Keeping his aim on Jesse. "Not this one." He pointed out, his face calm and serious. "Now stop this, Jesse. You can still come back from this. You know it won't hurt her either way."

Jesse looked down at the brunette, then back up at Derek. She looked at the gun she had trained on the girl. It was metal. It was doing nothing but mimicking fear and pain. But he's right. A gun like this, merely only tickles a machine. But then why did it fall when it could have kept running? Why did it run? Why didn't the metal kill her when it had the chance? Why not do it now? She looked back up at Derek, with a tear rolling down her cheek. "I'm sorry, love. But I can't let it live." Jesse's finger applied pressure on the trigger, and two gunshots were heard in sync. Jesse fell to the ground, and smoke rose from Derek's firearm.

He looked at the fallen aussie with horror at what he just did. He walked up to Jesse and saw that bullet impacted directly into her heart, killing her instantly. It was over. He just killed the woman he loved…. Just to save a machine. But was it worth it? For John's sake? Did it require his sacrifice for his nephew's benefit? His happiness?

Derek was immediately rushed out of his thoughts when he heard a piercing scream from behind him. He turned and looked down at Cameron. She was holding her stomach, and whimpering. He just shook his head. She was just acting strange again, and keeping up the act. Cameron always didn't know when it was appropriate to stop-

"P-please help me!" The girl wailed out in pain. Derek looked at the girl in confusion. She was actually crying… she was actually in…. pain?

 _Holy shit!_

Derek ran up to the girl and placed his palm over the wound and applied pressure to it. "Cameron… what the hell is going on?" He got no answer. Instead her eyes rolled back and she began coughing up blood.

Derek's eyes widened in realization: This girl was not a machine. She was… human?


	10. Emotions and Pain

**PRESENT DAY  
**

It was a more or less, a quiet morning. The sun had been up for hours already, and birds chirped throughout the blue sky. No cloud was in sight as everything seemed like it was going to be a good, and peaceful day. That is, if it weren't for the black Dodge Ram speeding down the street, going so fast, that it could probably clip a Terminator that decided to cross its path. Behind the wheel was a very anxious, and confused Derek Reese. His hands were covered in blood, as he had his foot slammed on the gas pedal. On his right, was a girl who was screaming in absolute pain, and breathing heavily. He tried so hard to focus on driving, all while attempting to use his minimal medial skills to put pressure on her stomach wound, using one of John's hoodies as a bandage. Eight times, within twenty minutes, had he almost gotten into a wreck because of trying to aid this girl.

Who was she? She looked exactly identical to Cameron. Everything from the hair, to the brown eyes. Even the strange birthmark on her left eyebrow was present on this girl. Funny, he always thought of it as strange that a terminator had a skin mark, when it was once thought that they were perfect infiltrators wearing masks. But this girl, this person who looked like Cameron. She was human. But how?

There is no time for that right now. Adding a third chore next to driving and keeping pressure on this girl's wound was bound to cause an accident that could quite possibly wound both him and her even further, or risk getting caught by authorities.

"I need you to hold this tight!" Derek ordered. "Can you do that for me!?"

The girl hastily nodded and used what was left of her strength to hold the hoodie around her wound. Derek took this moment to fish his phone from his pocket where he started typing in the Sarah's phone number. He put the phone up to his ear, and waited as it rung while looking out into the still vacant road, and the girl who started appearing weaker and weaker.

" _Hello?"_

"Sarah, it's Derek! I have a problem?"

" _You didn't use code, idiot!"_

Even during the worst of times. there was Sarah Connor being her paranoid self yet again. "There is no time for that! Have the Tin Can ready with any medical supplies! I'm two minutes out!" Not even giving Sarah the chance to answer, he snapped his phone closed, and threw it in the back seat, not caring for it right now.

He looked back at the girl in attempts to reassure her that he was finding help, but immediately found that she had passed out again, and blood began freely flowing from her wound.

"God Dammit, Tin Miss!" He grabbed the hoodie and began to continue what she couldn't, all while accidentally swerving onto the opposite lane, and almost hitting another vehicle as the result.

Finally he arrived home, and sped into the driveway, where he came to a skidding stop right at the front door. He immediately hopped out, and rounded the vehicle, to the passenger side, where he grabbed the girl bridal style, and took her to the front porch, just in time to see Sarah, and Uncle Bob open the door. Sarah was taken aback to see who he was holding. But there was no time to ask questions, as Derek had pushed past them, and made a beeline for the kitchen, where he used the girl's body to swipe all contents off the dining table, and laid her down on it.

"Derek, what the hell is-"

"Okay, Tin Can, do something besides kill, and save her!" Derek demanded the T-800. Surprisingly Bob immediately took action, and began to tear a larger hole in the girl's shirt, where he began to examine the wound.

After a short minute, Uncle Bob looked back up. "It appears that the bullet went in at a forty degree angle. Considering the extreme amounts of blood loss, it has hit something vital."

Derek angrily kicked a nearby chair in response, causing it to crash into the wall. "Sonofabitch!"

"Derek, who is she?" Sarah demanded in all seriousness. "Why does she look like Cameron? Why is she hurt?"

"If I knew that, I'd have told you!" Derek answered loudly. "She was shot by Jesse."

Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief. "You went to see Jesse!?"

"For her to help us, dammit!" Derek argued further.

"I need the first aid kit," Uncle Bob spoke up in loud tone. Sarah and Derek decided to put aside their arguing for now, and Sarah went to the kitchen sink, and retrieved the small box of first aid, and set it next to the T-800. Bob opened the kit, and grabbed an IV fluid bag, and handed it to the woman. "Apply to her left arm." Sarah did so, and ran the tube through the young girl's left arm, and through the IV bag, taking one of the nearby banana racks to hold it in place. Uncle Bob noticed that the girl's breathing had ceased, and her chest stopped rising. "She's not breathing. We need to manually pump oxygen into her lungs."

"Tell us what you need, Tin Can!" Derek spat in frustration.

"A plastic bottle with a tube attached, is preferable under given circumstances," Uncle Bob explained simply. Taking into account what the T-800 just told him, Derek ran to the refrigerator and grabbed the nearest liter soda bottle, and dumped it's remaining contents into the sink before rinsing it out with water. He then scrambled through drawers for some tape, and some plastic tubes. After a short moment, Derek finally had something rigged together, and ran back over to the table, giving the contraption to the machine. However, Uncle Bob lightly pushed it back towards him. "You apply the the oxygen."

He didn't like taking orders from a damn machine, but knew now wasn't the time for this, and reluctantly accepted, where he ran the tube down her throat, and began to pump oxygen to the girl's lungs.

At that moment, John came walking into the kitchen. Due to the screaming, he originally thought it was Derek being skeptical of Uncle Bob, but found that was not the case as who he saw on the table was of main concern. "C-Cameron!?" Everyone looked over at John, who was staring at them in shock. Before any of them could say anything reassuring, however, the girl had awaken once more as Uncle Bob began sticking a pair of long tweezers down the entry wound, causing her to scream in complete agony, with her spitting out the oxygen pump.

"Derek Reese, Sarah, hold her down!" Uncle Bob barked loudly, causing the soldiers to flinch. Never had they heard a machine shout like that. The two compiled, with Derek rushing to hold down her flailing arms; and Sarah, her legs. The girl continued to scream in pain as the T-800 continued to thrust the tweezers deeper and deeper into the wound.

"Stop, you're killing her!" John immediately snapped, and stepped forward in attempts to halt the machine from continuing.

"John! Do you want her alive?" Sarah asked. Her son nodded. "Then let him do his work!" From the corner of her eye, Sarah noticed a small figure standing at the frame of the kitchen. She saw it to be Savannah Weaver, tightly holding her stuffed giraffe, looking at the scene that laid before her with a mixture of confusion and terror. "John, I need you to take over!" Her son complied, and ran to take Sarah's place. With that out of the way, she walked over to the little redhead and gently guided her out of the room.

With his mother gone, All he could do was watch first hand as the girl continued to wail in a mixture of pain, and crying. That was until her eyes closed, and her limbs went limp, her head rolling back. His eyes widened in shock. "W-w-w-what happened?" John asked Bob in fear. "What happened!?"

"It appears she has passed out due to shock. The pain must've been too much to bear."

"Is she alive!?" John asked hastily.

The T-800 looked at John with a blank expression. "Yes." He bent back down and went back to work, and managing to pull out a large bullet fragment. "One down. One to go."

"John, I need to talk to you for a minute." Derek spoke up, just as Sarah came walking back into the room. He looked to his mother for approval, to which she nodded, and motioned her head towards the living room. Once the three were inside, John sat down, right next to his mother, and Derek stood on the opposite end of the coffee table. "That isn't Cameron."

Even though he knew it from the time he heard her scream, it still hurt to hear it in person. His heart sank, and deep down he knew that Cameron must really be gone. "Then who is she?"

"We don't know." Derek admitted truthfully. "We know nothing about her."

"Then why was she shot? Did you-"

"No!" Derek immediately cut his nephew off. "Not in a million years! The Tin Miss saved me, thus earned my respect. It was Jesse who done it."

"Jesse?" He knew that name. Who she was. The one that Riley was conspiring with.

"She's from the future. She's also the one who killed Riley." Derek explained simply.

Both John and Sarah went wide eyes. "And how do you know she was the one who did it?" John asked his uncle.

"She admitted it herself. She went berserk, thinking _she_ was Cameron." Derek indicated towards the girl in the other room. "She was acting like a fucking nutjob, trying to shoot her in the middle of a café, putting innocent people at risk."

"And what happened to your psychotic girlfriend?" Sarah quipped with venom.

Derek's eyes dropped to the floor as what transpired an hour ago, came flooding back into his memory. The moment when he squeezed that trigger and then… "She's dead. I killed her."

"Why did you kill her? We could've interrogated her for some information. She may have been a gray. Who knows?" Sarah asked angrily.

"She was not a gray!" Derek spat. Sarah was taken back at his sudden outburst. "She had nothing against John, just against Cameron! I didn't know that she was lying to me the whole time about future John and Tin Miss! I believed her and wanted Cameron gone from John's life! But then….."

"Then what?" Sarah blared impatiently.

"I was kidnapped by that psycho machine! It tried to manipulate me, tell me things that made me mad, initially! But then…. then I understood."

"What are you trying to say Derek?" Sarah asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Will you just let me explain!?" Derek inquired in frustration. Sarah still glared at the soldier, but backed away for now.

"Derek….."

"There is no hope without _her_!" Derek said this very quickly. "There, I said it!"

"What?!"

"What are you saying, Derek?" John intervened.

"I killed the woman I loved for you people! I killed Jesse for Cameron, because I understood the fucking truth about her! I don't know if we can stop Judgement Day. But if we can't, then _she_ ," he pointed at the table again, "is the only one who can help you defeat Skynet. No one else can, because without her, there is no hope!"

Sarah crossed her arms unamused. "You're talking about Cameron." Derek simply nodded. "Why?"

Derek paced around the room, taking a minute to compose himself, and calm down. "Look Sarah, there are a lot of things you don't know. I promise that I will explain everything later. But right now we need to focus on saving this girl."

"Derek, this isn't Cameron! You brought a girl in our safehouse who looks just like her. We don't know anything about her. For all we know she can be working for Skynet. You took a major risk bringing her here. Not just on John, but all of us." Sarah ranted in frustration. By the condition Derek brought her here in, she immediately knew that this wasn't the machine they spent months with. She wasn't even a machine at all.

Now John was irritated. He knew that his mother meant well and wanted him safe. But sometimes her paranoia got out of hand, and she stopped being the future leader's mother, and the crazy woman that ranted about machines to everyone. "She isn't a machine, mom! If she was, Uncle Bob would've told us so. Stop being so damn paranoid!"

"We should try to help her right now. I get a feeling that she is here for a reason and she knows something which we don't." Derek agreed.

Sarah just sighed heavily. She knew John and Derek were right. This girl was indeed not a machine. A machine wouldn't have bled like that from a bullet wound. She is clearly human. But the questions are: Who is she? Why is she here? And most of all why she looks exactly like Cameron? This is beyond coincidence, without a doubt.

After a few minutes of painful silence, Uncle Bob came walking into the room, holding the girl in his arms. "For the moment, she is stable. I am going to move her to a more comfortable room."

"First door on the right." Sarah acknowledged the machine. Uncle Bob nodded once in confirmation and stiffly walked up the stairs with ease. At least Cameron's room would finally be of use, instead of posing as a cover for when they had company over.

After another moment, Uncle Bob came walking back downstairs, his huge arms covered in dry blood. "We have a major problem." He announced stoically.

Everyone turned to him with confusion. "Problem?"

"It appears that the bullet used to wound this girl was manufactured locally."

"How about in English?" Derek asked in annoyance.

Uncle Bob only slightly tilted his head in misunderstanding at Derek's sarcasm, but took notice soon after, and continued. "I mean that it's possible that whoever made the bullet, was homemade and extremely unstable. It ended up splitting into two large fragments and lodged themselves deep within her abdomen."

"Meaning?"

"The first one was shallow enough for me to take out with ease, but the second fragment is located near an artery. If she moves like she did when I was removing the first…" Uncle Bob paused. "Imminent death will most likely occur."

"You would probably enjoy that wouldn't you?" Derek hissed at the cyborg.

Uncle Bob shook his head. "I don't want anything. I overheard your conversation. If there is something she needs to tell us, then it's in our best interests if we do in fact keep her alive for now."

 _Well at least Bob still kept the same morals I implemented into him when I was thirteen,_ John thought to himself.

"So what do we do?" Sarah then asked the machine.

"I can't do anything until I have proper equipment. Without anaesthetic, and a proper oxygen pump, it will prove very difficult, if not impossible to fix the damage."

"We need a hospital." Derek nodded in agreement, and stood up. He grabbed his handgun from the back of his jeans, and checked it for a fresh clip.

John stood up, and walked over to the soldier, with a hardened look engraved on his face. "Derek, we're not robbing a hospital!" he shouted in anger.

"John, he may have a point." Sarah disagreed.

"No, he doesn't!" John shook his head. "That's not who we are!"

"They are right, John," Bob also strongly agreed. "There is no other way."

"There is always another way!" In a fit of rage, John slammed his fist into the nearby bookshelf, with most of the shelf's contents shaking violently, threatening to fall. The room fell silent as everyone just stared at the future leader.

Sarah walked up to her son, and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. "John, listen to me. Right now, we have to do whatever we can. I know you want this girl alive as much as…. As much as Cameron." That name stung, but he knew it was true. It may not be something he was comfortable with, but under given circumstances, and under time restraint. There was only one option they had right now. John nodded bleakley, and calmed himself. With some relief, Sarah looked back at the T-800 and Derek. "Do we even have a plan?"

In response, both Derek and Uncle Bob looked at each other in uncertainty.

"We could always just force our way in." Derek proposed.

"Yeah? Why not call the police and tell them we're on our way while we're at it?" Sarah scoffed in response to Derek's suggestion.

"I may have an idea."

Everyone's eyes fell upon the T-800 whom stepped forward, and listened intently. "Terminating or forcing our way into government owned property isn't wise. Unlike Cyberdyne, emergency care systems have set codes, as well as security to protect any occupants."

"What do you suggest?" Sarah inquired. She had to admit that she was surprised to hear this machine suggest a plan that didn't involve terminating. This in fact had to be the one from 1997. The one that John did teach the value of human life.

"A city wide blackout will serve as a distraction to any EMT personal, as well as authority. People will get hurt, and possibly die from this. But it's our only choice if Cameron Phillips' human counterpart is to survive."

Derek nodded in confirmation. "So we cut the power and-"

"And we steal supplies while doctors are busy with all the new admitted patients," John finished.

"Correct." Uncle Bob affirmed.

It was a brilliant plan, but the thought of possibly being responsible for more human lives didn't sit well for him. But he had to admit that for the first time, Bob didn't suggest a tactic to directly taking innocent lives. He mentally berated himself. There wasn't enough time to be going back and forth between the right thing to do, and the only thing to do. There was only one choice and the other didn't involve Cameron's human double, surviving. This girl needed to survive. He desperately needed answers as to why she looks the way she does. Maybe there was closure to what happened to her, he didn't know. There was just that itchy feeling in him that pushed him into saving this girl.

"Alright. Let's go." John made his way for the door, but was immediately stopped by his mother whom whirled him around.

"John, you're not going. Me and Derek will go handle this. I need you to stay here with Uncle Bob."

Before John could have a chance to interject, it was Uncle Bob who stepped forward again, and shook his head. "Cameron's counterpart has lost a significant amount of blood. With your blood type being O Negative, I need you here to ensure that she has a longer time span." He then looked at the young leader. "And John I cannot let you go unprotected."

"Guess that leaves me then." Derek muttered.

John wanted to lash out of frustration but he decided against it. "Look, I understand you have to protect me and I am too important and stuff like that, but I need to do this. For this girl. We need to know what she knows. I will be with Derek and I will be perfectly safe with him."

"John-" Bob was about to say, before being rudely interrupted by John.

"There is no time for sitting here arguing! That girl is dying and Derek needs help. If I'm going to be this great leader, then I sure as hell am going to need to take my first steps."

Uncle Bob was reluctant at first, but he eventually gave, and pulled out a handgun before handing it to John. "Here. I won't be able to protect you, but this should allow you to protect yourself."

John took the weapon, and gave the machine a simple nod. They all made their way outside, to the truck, where John and Derek began loading it up with necessary equipment. Uncle Bob made them a list of specifics, as well as a detailed hand drawing of each needed item. Before departure, Sarah engulfed her son in a tight hug. "You better be careful."

"Don't worry, mom," John assured his mother. "We'll be fine."

Although she didn't like sending her son out on a mission like this, she forced a smile, and looked over to Derek, where her expression hardened. "If anything happens to him, just know that I will see to it that you end up in a worse place than Cameron's double."

"Geez! Sarah, you and Cameron are always so overprotective of John. Let him grow up. Let him be the man he will be in the future, the one who will lead us to victory." Derek tried to lighten the mood. If nothing terrified the soldier even more, it was the fact that the T-800 seconded her statement.

"We'll be okay, mom." John reassured Sarah once more. "Let's go, Derek." With that said, and their mission set into motion, Derek and John both hopped into the black truck, and pulled out of the driveway, where they headed for their first destination, on the way to the hospital. One minor objective they first needed to accomplish.

With a sigh Sarah sat down beside the bed in Cameron's room where the Tin Miss' human twin lay unconscious and the T-800 was checking her condition. She had to take care of Savannah first so she could come here and help if anything needed. This girl will die unless John and Derek can get the much needed equipment from the hospital. She looked at the face of the unconscious girl lying on the bed. She seemed peaceful. Sarah would never admit this to anyone; but she misses Cameron. She was used to her presence in her home. It's true that she never liked the fact that her son: John, was always so close to her but without her knowledge; Cameron: a terminator, had gained her respect, and if she dare to say… her affection?

 _No! Absolutely not! No way!_

"When will she wake up?" Sarah asked the T-800.

"She is in a drug induced coma. She won't be waking up anytime soon." The T-800 answered.

"What the hell is she doing here? Why is there a human version of Cameron?" Sarah inquired in puzzlement. Everything about her is so similar, yet so… different. Her hair seemed a bit longer than Cameron's. Hell, she was sure she saw scars across her arms and torso when changing her into some more comfortable clothes. Something Cameron could probably never have was the ability to attain scars and other human characteristics. Physically at least.

"Do you know who this girl is by any chance? Don't you have like any files or something on her?" Sarah asked the T-800.

"No. I have no files on her." Uncle Bob replied.

"So we're gonna have to wait till she wakes up?" Sarah asked.

"If she survives, yes." Uncle Bob answered. "There is also the device she had on her person when arriving. When this over I am going to see what information it holds."

Sarah just nodded in acceptance, and looked over at the girl. She was a complete stranger, yet she didn't feel like one. Maybe it was because she had the face of a cyborg that she became so acquainted with over the past few months. Or maybe it was she had a connection to not just Cameron, but to them? She wasn't sure, but either way, they'd have to find out. Her being here was no mistake- no coincidence. She was here for a reason and Sarah wondered how much Cameron changed in the future from which that deadly machine came.

* * *

 **LOS ANGELES, 2019 A.D.**

John Connor tried to remember the world the way it used to be. The way it once was, before it was engulfed in nuclear fire. The sounds, the sights, the smells. It made not just him, but everyone who survived J-Day, take it for granted. But it was getting harder for him to remember with every passing day. So many different stories of defeat and so many faces of death….. Those gleaming metal skulls, those red glowing eyes that meant death.

Several T-600s, with their attached Gatling guns, were tearing apart the resistance fighters. It was not only about the T-600 but also the T7-T: machines like spiders equipped with heavy Gatling guns themselves, Aerostats: flying drones with deadly fire power and the Hunter Killers. During the early days of the war, Skynet had not invented plasma weaponry. It wouldn't for another few years. Even then, it would be a while before the Resistance ever got their hands on the technology. But one thing remained constant: No matter what humans did to stop the machines, it was never enough. Humans lose more than they win.

Remembering the way things used to be…. It gave him hope. But the truth was, he was starting to lose faith. They came here to destroy a Skynet base but it turned out to be a trap. When they scouted the area there were only a handful of T-600s guarding the entrances. But as soon as the fight started, he saw hundreds of terminators coming out from the Skynet base. Skynet knew they were coming so it laid a trap. What was originally expected to be an ambush by the Resistance, quickly turned into a slaughter fest. The tables were turned so quickly, it almost made his own head spin.

It was not easy to survive. But somehow, John Connor survived. He saw several soldiers fall to their death at the hands of the machines. He ducked behind a crumpled down wall, and ran inside a destroyed school bus. It gave him slight cover. His eyes roamed to find a way to get to a position with better cover but before he could do that, he was already spotted by an Aerostat.

Narrowly missing the bullets by rolling away at the right time he unloaded the entire clip of his SCAR-H on the drone. The drone busted into several pieces as he reloaded his rifle. He thanked his training silently, and of course he had….no has a good teacher. Well, not good, actually the very best. Luckily the machines were still vulnerable to bullet projectiles.

At that very moment he heard something coming towards him. In the next quick second, he dived to the ground and pressed himself up against a wall. Just a second later, an HK appeared out of nowhere, and went straight for the Resistance helicopter, that was providing air support in the battle against Skynet's machines. John fired his gun at the HK but it was useless. The HK easily shot down the chopper out of the air and John had to dive away as the chopper crashed down right where he was just moments ago.

"You alright, Connor?" A resistance soldier asked looking at John.

John got on his feet immediately. "I'm fine." He reported.

"Okay, good. We need to get the hell outta here. Let's go. Let's go." The soldier named Richard Smith, ordered his team. "Follow me, Connor!"

John followed his leader. They ran through burnt and destroyed buildings for evacuation site.

" _We've just declared emergency evacuation. All south side units regroup at the Strand Hotel for evacuation. North side units head for….."_ Then all was static in the radio.

"Guess they're calling it. It's about time, we're getting slaughtered down here." Smith mumbled.

There were few more soldiers waiting for them where John arrived with Smith.

"Sir, am I glad to see you. Command's ordering an evacuation and I think that we…" One of the soldiers greeted Smith but he cut the soldier off.

"Yeah, yeah. We know. It won't take long to reach the hotel." Smith said.

"Have you seen how many Aerostats and spiders are out there?!" A female Asian soldier named Blair Williams asked. She seemed both surprised and annoyed that they are trying to go through that route despite so much danger.

Smith held up his hands to quiet her. "Just keep your heads down and stick to cover. It'll be fine." He assured. Then he looked at the soldiers under his command. "You boys and girls ready? Let's do this!"

They only moved a few feet and was attacked by a couple of Aerostats. They took the machines down and got out of the building into the streets of Los Angeles….. Or what was left of it. More accurately the ruins of the city. John looked around and spotted several dead bodies of the resistance fighters lying in the street. They had to stop dead in their tracks as the road was blocked completely.

"There's no way we can go through that mess." One soldier said.

"Then let's find another way around. First let's get off the street." Smith said and begin to lead his team through the ruins of the buildings.

Again they were ambushed by several Aerostats. John knew he was running low on ammo on his SCAR, so he pulled out his Remington shotgun. Single shots from that shotgun were enough to destroy those drones.

"Nice shooting, Connor." Smith praised.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" Williams asked John with genuine interest.

John smiled slightly. "I had the best teachers."

"Like who?" Williams asked. She was now really curious.

Three days ago a stranger named John Connor appeared out of nowhere and enlisted himself in the Resistance. Of course he had to prove himself, and he passed the test without any problems. She saw him doing his test, and since then she was meaning to ask him a few questions: Where did he learn to shoot like that? Those reflexes, speed and agility, how did he master them?

"This is no time for chit chat Williams. We need to move now." Smith said. "Stay quiet and stick to cover, we will be fine."

Williams turned away from John after giving him a look which said that she was not done with her questions. They moved through the ruins silently and slowly.

"How old are you Connor?" The soldier named Blaise asked.

"Why? Are you going to ask him out on a date?" His fellow soldier named Weize asked jokingly.

John smiled. "I am 23 most probably. It's hard to keep count of the dates now a days."

"Judging by your age and skills I presume that you got your training when you were much younger than nineteen. Where did you learn all those things? Even the best of our fighters can't do what you can and they are in the resistance from the beginning." Williams asked again.

John knew she won't let go of this topic easily. So, he answered as honestly as he could. "As I told you, I had the two best teachers who taught me how to fight the machines, how to hide from them, how to survive."

"That's not an answer Connor." Williams insisted.

"That's all I can tell you, at least for now." John said.

"Very well." Williams huffed and walked away beside Smith.

"She is a feisty one, isn't she?" Weize said.

"Maybe. Armed, dangerous and drop dead gorgeous." Blaire murmured in awe. His eyes were locked on the backside of Williams.

His friend chuckled noticing his stare. "Drop it man. She doesn't even look at you."

"Well, a man got to try. What do you say Connor?" Blaise asked.

John looked at Blaise and thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know…I just never had to try." He murmured to himself.

"What?" Blaise asked.

"We are almost there." Smith said.

At that moment Williams yelled, "Endo ahead!" and dove for cover.

John found a cover too but the rest of them weren't so lucky. They were gunned down by the approaching T-600 in a matter of seconds.

The T-600 had spotted John and immediately it recognized him as John Connor. Its mission priority changed immediately. John knew the T-600 had spotted him and will target him giving William a chance to survive.

"Williams, don't move out of cover. Let it approach me." John ordered.

"Are you crazy?" Williams asked in disbelief because if she doesn't move the T-600 will come and snap John's neck or both of theirs.

"Do as I say if you want to live." John said.

"If you die I am blaming this on you Connor." She yelled from her cover.

"Don't worry…..I won't die." John murmured to himself.

He peeked slightly from cover and saw the machine moving towards him. With one quick roll he was out of his cover and shot the floor at the feet of the T-600 with the grenade launcher of his SCAR-H. The floor crumbled and the machine fell down through the hole.

Williams was really surprised at John. "How did you spot that weak point on the floor?" Williams asked.

"Out of many trainings I took, this was one of the most important. Someone once told me: _If you cannot take on your enemy head on, use the environment to your advantage._ " John said.

"That was a nice piece of advice you got back then." Williams said.

"It was a necessary piece of advice to survive against the machines." John agreed.

"By the way you talk about the machines, it appears as if you knew about them long before Judgement Day even arrived." Williams asked with suspicion.

"Maybe." He checked the bodies for any sign of life but there was none. Sighing he left them behind and moved towards the evacuation site with Williams at his toe.

They met two more soldiers ahead waiting for them: O'Grady and Rogers. The two saw only John and Williams. "Connor. Williams. Where are the others?" Rogers asked.

"Terminator. T-600." Williams answered.

"Damn machines." Rogers cursed. "Come on let's keep moving."

"Did you kill it?" O'Grady asked.

"No. It will be back." John said.

"Then, let's get out of here before it comes back. This way. Everyone is up here." Rogers pointed to the building to their left.

There were two more soldiers up there inside the building.

"Well, I'll be! I was sure as sunrise you all were dead." A soldier named Peters commented.

"Some of us are dead!" John spat angrily.

"Whoa! Connor! I meant no disrespect." Peters apologized immediately.

"Easy, John." Williams said by putting a hand on his shoulder. "Well, Peters! Where are the choppers?"

"Choppers? There are no choppers. The area is too hot. We're gonna go by truck. Head south to where it's safer and evac from there." Peters answered.

"Are you kidding me? We will go by the road in a truck? It's damn too risky. The noise will attract the machines, no doubt." Williams said angrily.

"If you don't like it, you can stay here Williams and have chat with the machines. What? Do you think I am doing this for fun? We have no choice." Peters replied angrily too.

"It's true the area is too hot for the choppers to land here." Rogers agreed with Peters.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." O'Grady said.

"Wait." John stopped them. "Can you hear that?"

"Hear what? Oh….Shit! HK! Aerostats! Get down!" Peters yelled as he spotted an HK coming towards them.

John quickly grabbed the RPG lying on the floor and begin to ready it.

"Get it distracted! But don't expose yourself!" John ordered.

"Aye! Aye! Connor!" Peters said.

With the others distracting the HK and the Aerostats, John had no difficulty shooting down the lonely HK. But he almost ran out of ammo for RPG. That thing was tough.

"Nice shooting Connor." Williams said.

John acknowledged her praise. "Let's cross over." He indicated towards the side where the trucks are waiting for them.

But as soon as they got to the other building one of its wall exploded and in came a T-600 with a minigun in hand. John could tell that it was the very same one that was hunting them earlier by seeing its damaged legs.

"Terminator! Get to cover!" Williams warned the others.

It was a grave situation because every one of them was almost out of ammo including John.

"What do we do? How do we take that thing out?" Rogers asked.

"It's no good running either. It will take us down in a second." Peters added.

"John?" Williams asked looking at John for his decision.

John had no answer because he was helpless too. How could he save himself and the others without any ammo? The T-600 will not go down easy.

"I won't die like this. Not like this." O'Grady muttered under his breath.

"It's getting close." Rogers warned.

"Shit!" Peters cursed after ducking down behind cover.

The T-600 was almost on them ready to terminate its targets but most precisely John. John was considering about risking himself and distracting the machine so others could get the opportunity to get to the trucks. He knew it is a stupid idea, like _she_ would say, but he really has no choice right now. It's either him or all of them.

"Listen! I will distract it! You guys run like hell while I get its attention." John said.

"No! Are you crazy John? You will get yourself killed." Williams disagreed completely.

"Do you have a better plan? No. It's better it will be just me than all of us together." John replied calmly.

"He is right, Williams. I don't like this, but we have no choice." Peters said.

"Fuck you asshole!" Williams said to Peters. "I am not going without you, John." She replied looking back towards John.

"Blaire! Don't argue! Go!" John snapped.

John was about to run out of cover to distract the machine but at that moment the T-600 stumbled back from a gunshot. Next someone kicked the minigun out of its hands and fired three more shots at its skull. The machine tumbled back more and sparks begin to fly out of its metallic head. Another shot and the side of its skull exploded rendering it offline permanently.

Everyone's eyes widened and looked at their savior. A young woman with shoulder length brown hair with chocolate eyes was standing there with a Remington shotgun in her hands. Aside from the large earrings on both her ears, she was wearing a very faded purple colored jacket over a blue shirt, a dark jeans and knee length black boots.

"Whoa!" That was the first thing that came out of Peter's mouth which was hanging wide open.

The others specially the men kept staring at the young woman but she didn't even acknowledge their gawking. Her eyes were solely focused on one person.

O'Grady elbowed his partner Rogers. "Who is she dude? She is… She is gorgeous."

"That's we all want to know and stop staring, you are looking like a fool." Rogers whispered back.

"Who are you?" It was Blaire Williams who asked the question to the young woman.

The young woman looked at Blaire who was standing beside John. "My name is Cameron. Cameron Connor."

"Connor?" Blaire asked. Everyone was surprised too at her last name. "Is she…?"

"She's my wife." John answered with a smile.

Immediately the expression on William's face turned a little disappointed but she quickly composed herself.

"Oh! I see." Williams mumbled dejectedly.

"We don't have time to waste. Skynet already knows we are here, more machines will come to hunt us down." Cameron said.

"Yes." The others agreed and walked towards the jeeps mounted with HMG's.

Cameron was lingering behind with John. She seemed hesitant about something. John knew this from years of seeing her, knowing her. "You want to say something Cam?" John asked.

"Are you okay John?" She asked the question finally.

John smiled. Her over-protectiveness will never go away, not because it is her mission but the reason is that she loves him, cares for him.

"I am alright, Cam." John said.

"Okay." She seemed satisfied with his answer and was ready to follow the others towards the jeeps. But John quickly turned her around, snaked his arms around her waist and brought her close so they were almost nose to nose. Their eyes locked on each other and all they could see was each other.

"This is not the appropriate time, John." Cameron protested slightly with her hands on his chest.

"I know. It's just that I missed you." John said with a smile and lowered his head to capture her lips in a sweet kiss. She didn't protest but quickly ended their romantic moment because sometimes John can be…..John. She quickly hurried away but John saw the hint of pink on her cheeks before she turned away. It meant she liked it, no matter what she said to him. With a small grin on his face he followed her towards the jeeps which were waiting for them.

* * *

 **PRESENT TIME**

If anything John thought was wrong, doing what he and his uncle were about to do was probably gonna take the cake. He wasn't sure what a city wide blackout was gonna do to the city's inhabitants, but he was sure that it wasn't gonna be pretty.

"John, I need you to flash the light here," Derek ordered.

He followed his uncle's command, and shined the flashlight just right where Derek could see the inner workings of the power turbine that ran the whole electrical grid. He undid the small power box, and started pulling wires from their places, and began cutting where he thought was needed.

After a few minutes, he was down to one last wire that he was sure, was the one that would do the trick. But instead, when he used his boot knife to cut the wire, the whole building went off with loud sirens blaring around them.

"What the hell did you do!?" John shouted at his uncle.

"Me? I tried to cut the power!" Derek shot back.

"Oh, and it worked just great, didn't it?" John loudly, yet sarcastically said.

"Okay, we need to find whatever the hell can shut this damn thing up!" Derek explained. "Find some console or whatever is used on this place!"

Both quickly, and frantically, John and Derek began searching the dimly lit room, trying to find a way to cut the deafening alarm. But after a minute, they both rushed back to each other, looking at one another in defeat.

"Did you find anything!?" Derek inquired.

"No!" John shook his head. "What about you!?"

"Nope!" Derek agreed. He looked around, where his eyes fell on the power generator, and his toolbag next to it. "We need to shut that bloody thing off, or I'm gonna need hearing aids!"

Also looking at the toolbag, an idea came to his head. Something that screamed at him as it was guiding him, and telling him what to do. "I may have an idea!"

John pushed past Derek, and withdrew a socket wrench from the toolbag, where he dropped it in the accelerated turbine, and jumped back. There was long tumbling sound, followed by metal twisting and turning, before it bursts into flames, and the whole room they were in, went dark.

"How the hell did you even think of that?" Derek asked a little louder than expected. John concluded that it was probably due to the alarm.

"I don't know. It just came to mind." John shrugged in truth. He wasn't sure what that small voice told him. Almost as if it were guiding him.

Derek peeked in the flame broiling turbine, and winced at the smoke hitting his face, and began to cough. "Damn. That was my favorite wrench, too." He closed his toolbag and grabbed slung it around his shoulder. "Alright, John, let's get outta here while we can."

John nodded in agreement, and the two immediately left the city's power plant, and drove away to their next destination on their complicated, and time sensitive mission.

* * *

 **CONNOR HOUSE**

Uncle Bob was observing Allison unblinkingly. Sarah had dozed off for sitting idly in the chair beside the bed where Cameron's doppelganger lay. So far she almost looked peaceful. But that was only due to the drugs that he gave her to help the pain. It was mostly quiet.

However, Sarah couldn't sleep for long, as the presence of the machine would immediately wake her. It wasn't that she didn't trust the machine, it was just that to her, the face was still a monster that haunted her for years. Deep down she knew Uncle Bob was good. Even going as far as to give up being a Terminator and adopt morals and ethics on the value of human life. After John told him to, he stopped killing, he did. When he couldn't smile, John taught him how to. Although she probably wasn't gonna get a decent night's rest, at least this was a machine she could trust somewhat.

"What's taking them so long!?" Sarah asked tiredly. Already it seemed that the sun was beginning to set soon, only leaving a few hours of daylight left. Now she was beginning to worry about them, and neither John, nor Derek answered their phones. She hated being left in the dark like this. Not knowing if her son was alright, and not lying in a ditch somewhere. She hoped that wasn't the case.

"With the power grid being shut down, it is more than likely they are experiencing trouble in traffic." Bob answered stoically.

"You think I don't know that?" Sarah sarcastically acknowledged Bob's statement.

"No. I don't think that." Uncle Bob denied with the shake of his head.

Suddenly, the two were interrupted from their conversation, when the girl in the bed began to start shaking, and moving rapidly, as a seizure began to ensue. Uncle Bob and Sarah immediately ran over to the girl and held her down; more specifically around the wound, so that she wouldn't hurt herself further, and cause even more blood loss.

"What the hell is going on!?" Sarah demanded frantically.

"It appears she is convulsing. There is nothing we can do but make sure she doesn't cause further injuries to her wound." Uncle Bob explained calmly.

"We need to help her! We can't just leave her like this!" Sarah pressed angrily. "What else can we do!?"

"There is nothing we can do, Sarah. We can only wait till this subsides." After a few moments, the convulsions started to die down, and the girl began to relax, while also going back into an unconscious state. However, the two's attention diverted downwards, to the girl's bandage, where both saw a large bloodstained that was seeping through. Uncle Bob removed it, and saw that even more blood appeared to be seeping it's way from her system. "The movements must have caused further injury. I am not sure to what extent, however."

Uncle Bob had Sarah put more pressure on the wound, while he began to attempt to make repairs inside her stomach, trying to do what very little he could in the time they had, and within their ability. Luckily, the T-800 was able to slow the blood loss quite significantly, and began to wrap a fresh bandage around her stomach once more.

"How long till she does something like that again?" Sarah inquired with an out of breath tone. All the exertion made her quite tired, as she had spent most of her time giving this girl her blood. Now she was gonna have to give even more. She definitely could use a sandwich right now.

"I can't predict when the seizures will return, but it's a high possibility that it could occur within the next few hours if Derek Reese, and John Connor don't return."

Sarah looked at the ground in defeat. "And what do we do if they don't return in time?"

"Death," Bob almost immediately answered. "Either that or I attempt to work on her without the equipment."

"And what is the likelihood that she will even survive the procedure?" Sarah asked.

"There is an 86.7 percent chance that she will die during the procedure." The machine answered simply.

"And with the equipment?'

"89.9 percent chance of survival."

Sarah looked back at the bed, and at the girl. Seeing Cameron die would break John even more. Even if this girl wasn't her, she still had the Tin Miss' face. It would destroy her son to have her die and him knowing that he was responsible for not returning in time to save her. "If they aren't back in one hour, then do what you must. We don't have a choice."

Uncle Bob simply nodded in acceptance, and went back to vigilantly watching the girl. Sarah left the room, and stumbled her way into the kitchen. She saw Savannah sitting at the table, coloring into a book. She opened the refrigerator, and began to look for any source of food to rebuild her strength. So far a sandwich could be made. She wasn't a big fan of the classic Turkey and ham sandwiches that John made, but it was better than nothing, and passing out every so often. She grabbed all the needed condiments and such, and took them to the table, where she sat opposite of Savannah, and began to put her sandwich together.

"Is she gonna be okay?" The little girl asked softly, in a timid tone.

Sarah looked up, and forced a smile. She didn't want to lie, but telling her the truth would be horrible for any little girl to hear. "Of course, honey. She is just hurt."

"Maybe Mr. Gruffly can make her better?" Savannah proposed. She attempted to hand Sarah the plush toy, where she gently pushed it back.

"How about you give it to her when she wakes up?" Sarah smiled kindly. Savannah just nodded in excitement, and went back to her coloring book.

Sarah continued to make her sandwich, all while mentally berating herself for what she just said. There was a strong chance that this girl would be dead before morning. She wouldn't be able to give that stuffed giraffe to her, thus proving her as lying to Savannah. John and Derek needed to return soon. Otherwise… otherwise this day was about to become a pretty bad day for everyone.

* * *

As they pulled up to the nearest hospital, both John and Derek came to a sudden halt as the parking lots were beyond filled; paramedics aiding some injured people outside; and a line extended all the way from the lobby through the emergency room drop off. They did do it, but at what cost exactly? Most injuries appeared to be that of the city stop lights going out at the wrong time, thus causing both minor, and life threatening accidents. It was possible that there were some casualties, and they were responsible for it. All of this pain. But they had their mission. There was no turning back now.

"You good?" Derek asked with concern. He could tell that John was nervous. That all too familiar face he knew his General would make when he was overthinking a situation.

John broke out of his daze, and looked at his uncle, to which he nodded. "Let's get this over with." Without another word, John got out of the vehicle, and Derek followed soon after.

As they neared the front lobby, the line appeared to be even longer. There was no getting in like this. Too many people were ahead of them, and it wasn't like they were more important. If he and John were going to get inside, they needed a plan. A good one.

Derek looked around, trying to think on the spot, just trying to come up with some genius, and revolutionary plan to get inside immediately. His eyes diverged down to his gun, in which he pulled out, and looked at with intent. It was in fact the weapon he used on Jesse, but maybe there was another use? Going in like a mad man and demand that they have medical supplies? No, of course not. That was just plain out stupid, and he knew it. There was most likely police in the building, if not, armed security. He needed a different plan. One that didn't involve harming, or threatening anyone.

Then there was a plan he was considering, as he looked down at his feet. Something he knew all too well, being a soldier from the future. When he would drink the most potent, Judgement Day moonshine, and get drunk off his ass; only to find that he was stupid enough to mistake his damn foot as a rat and shoot it with contempt that it would become dinner. Let's say he was glad that the moonshine was strong enough.

But sadly, there was no situation where he would be drinking J-Day moonshine, and there was no accidental foot shooting.

John's gaze followed Derek's down to his boots where he looked with confusion. "What are you thinking?" The only response Derek gave was a smirk, mixed with reluctance.

"God dammit! Why did you let me do that!?" Derek hissed. John just ignored his uncle's estranged ramblings, and guided him inside the hospital lobby, with Derek's arm slung around his shoulders. As they entered, they were met with stares, and even people cursing at them for cutting in line. John didn't let that bother him one bit, as he rushed to one of the nearest nurses, who turned around and saw the two limping up to her.

She dropped what she was doing, and rushed over to Derek and John, meeting them halfway. "What happened here?"

"My uncle accidentally shot himself in the foot." John answered with a small smirk creeping up on his lips. Never would he forget the fear that Derek had when he aimed the gun at his own foot.

"And why would he do such a thing?" The nurse inquired with suspicion.

John looked at Derek, not exactly knowing what to say. "Uhhh, he got scared and tried to shoot a large rat. The rat is okay, but his foot not so much."

Derek only glared at John in response, but didn't say anything. Guess this was their lie, even though his reason was practically the same for doing the first time.

The nurse simply nodded in acceptance, and brought a wheelchair to Derek, in which he took a seat in. The nurse began to push Derek down the dark hallway, and straight into a room, where the only light came from the open window. Immediately, she got to work on Derek's foot, and began to closely examine it. "Luckily it went straight through, but your bleeding quite a bit, Mr…?"

"Chandler." John instead answered. "I'm his nephew, John."

"Okay, Mr. Chandler, I will be right back with some proper supplies to patch you right up." She stood up, and grabbed some nearby gause, and wrapped it around his foot. "Keep pressure on this, otherwise you will lose a significant amount of blood." With that, she left the room, leaving John and Derek alone.

As soon as the door closed, John spoke. "Shooting yourself? That was your great big idea?"

"Hey, you could have stopped me!" Derek loudly mentioned. "And it worked, didn't it!?"

"Yeah, but we already have a person shot at home. Adding to that list doesn't make it better, Derek!"

"What choice did I have? We can't afford to wait much longer, because we need to get the hell out of here before the power returns." Derek lashed out at John but immediately regretted it when he saw the look of anguish on his face. He understood, John was angry because he was concerned. Because his nephew cared for him. He couldn't blame him though, he recently lost someone who was closest to him. Yeah, Derek knew how much he cared for Cameron, he was not dumb. Maybe that was why he shot himself in the foot in the first place? For this Cameron lookalike?

"Look John. I am sorry. But we need to do, for the reason we came here. I'm fine, go get those items off the list so we can get the hell outta here before they decide to ask even more questions." Derek explained in a calm simple manner. He handed him the paper that contained the names, and detailed drawings provided by none other than Uncle Bob. John accepted, and slipped out of the room, leaving Derek alone, holding his own foot like an idiot who shot himself.

Down the hall, John casually pushed passed the hospital medical staff, looking for the room where everything would be located in. Sadly, he knew next to nothing about hospitals, considering this was the first one he's ever been in. Everything was so foreign, and so complex, that he even had a hard time finding a quick exit for him and Derek.

Eventually John found what appeared to be the supplies room. But what he found was that there were several nurses and other practitioners entering and leaving the room. Never could he just walk in there and take what he needed. They would surely kick him out, or worse. Call the police. He needed another route to get in. An idea. John paced around, trying to brainstorm a quick plan that would prove successful in his mission in getting into that room. Everything he needed was in there, and he needed to be quick.

John walked down the hall, looking in both directions, until he found a back entrance sealed off for employees only. He snuck past, through the door, and ended up in an entirely empty, and dark hallway. He managed to navigate his way into a room that by his guess, was the staff lockers. A place where they could safely keep their belongings until the day was over. There also appeared to be a changing room, specifically used for the staff members to discreetly change if necessary. Along with that, John even came across a rack full of neatly folded clothes and other necessary garments.

Quickly he found a pair of scrubs that fit him, along with a doctor's white lab coat, and began to get dressed. Once done, he exited the locker room, and back into the public hallways, where he saw more hospital staff rushing to any citizens aid.

He snuck past everyone and made a straight beeline back to the supplies room, and went inside, just as two more nurses left. Immediately, he grabbed a bag from the shelf and took the supplies that were written on his list, taking the percussions to make sure that they were indeed the correct items needed. Without going too much into detail, John finally had everything that he needed. That is, besides the fact that medicine wasn't in abundance in this particular room. He would need to find some anesthesia for this girl if Uncle Bob is to start working on her wound without her being in so much agony. He didn't want that for her, so his next task was to find that room.

John shed the coat, and hit the bag of supplies in a nearby Janitorial utility cart, and began to push for the far end of the massive hospital, looking specifically for the room.

Luckily, it didn't take long as he almost immediately found it. But the problem was, that it was locked. He looked down and saw that it was closed, and could only be opened through a key card, which he definitely didn't have.

Unless he was very strong, or had a terminator with him, he wasn't getting inside. He needed to get ahold of a staff member's card, so that he could get in. After waiting a few moments, he waited for anyone to come walking by so that she could incapacitate them. It would require hurting someone, but it was a small price to pay for some answers on who this Cameron lookalike is. Where she came from.

After a few minutes or so, someone finally came around the corner, and John came rushing up to the man, where he thrusted a sharp scalpel against his neck, implying that he said a single word, or moved a muscle, he would be dead before he could blink. "I need access to this room. You're gonna get me inside. Give me your card."

"The power is out, man! It can't be opened through a keycard." The man answered in a low tone.

"Then how do I get inside?" John asked threateningly. Again, he thrushes the blade closer against the man's skin for added effect.

"I'm a locksmith. I can get you inside." The man replied. "Just please don't kill me."

John accepted, and let go of the man, to which he immediately pulled his gun on him, to show that he if he decided to double cross him, he wasn't messing around. The locksmith began his work on opening the automated door, occasionally looking over at John with timidness. The cold hard stare in his eyes as he looked at him, and behind him, looking for anyone else passing by. He wasn't sure what a young person, such as he, was planning. All he knew was that it was possible that this kid could probably shoot him and not give a damn about it.

After a minute, the locksmith had the door opened, and slowly stood up. Before he even had a chance to face John again, and ask what was next for him, John had swung the butt of the handgun at his nose with such force, that he was immediately rendered unconscious.

John quickly checked the pulse of the man, to make sure he was still breathing, and left him there after he made sure that man was alive. John quickly went into the room where he began checking the shelves for anesthesia. After meticulously searching the labels, he found it easily and quickly inserted a few bottles of anesthesia in the trolley.

He pushed the trolley outside and towards their car. No one noticed him amongst the chaos.

 _Uncle Bob's plan is working perfectly._ He thought in satisfaction. Now the only thing left is to get Derek and get the hell out of here. He quickly got inside the car and shredded the clothes he took, and went inside to retrieve Derek.

* * *

Derek was waiting impatiently for John. He got up from the wheelchair as soon as he noticed his nephew, and saw that no one was watching him amongst the chaos. He indicated John to get outside, and followed him to the car outside. Since Derek was in no condition to drive himself John took the wheel.

They reached home late due to the downed traffic system in the city. Being stuck on the highway, when they needed to get home, was a pain. He almost feared that this Cameron lookalike would die because of it. When they arrived home John was out of the car in the blink of an eye, and was already getting the bag full of the equipment. As if sensing his presence Uncle Bob came outside and helped him to carry all the stuff inside since Derek was struggling to walk.

"Is she okay?" John asked Uncle Bob.

"For the time being, she is stable. But I need to operate on her immediately." Uncle Bob explained.

"Please. Help her." John requested.

"I cannot promise anything. I am sorry, John." Uncle Bob replied.

John sighed and looked down. He understood the situation. But if that girl really dies, how will he get the answers he needed the most? And what if she is here for a reason? Maybe some crucial information? What if she has some connection with Cameron? What if she knows how to get Cameron back? Either way, he needed her alive. He needed answers to everything. He just hoped he wasn't too late, and Uncle Bob can fix her.

"Do whatever you have to do, but she must survive. That's an order." John said with seriousness. His face was full of determination. He won't let this girl die. He won't lose this chance if there is a way to bring _her_ back through this girl. He knew this is purely selfish but he thought that he had sacrificed enough through his entire life, along with his mother. Now, he can afford to be somewhat selfish.

"John, are you okay?" Sarah asked as soon as her son entered the house behind Uncle Bob. Then she noticed Derek was limping behind them. His foot was bandaged, and he was practically hopping. "What happened to your foot?" She addressed Derek.

"He shot himself." John answered for him.

"What?! Why would he do that?" Sarah asked getting up from the chair.

"It's alright, Sarah. I'm okay. The only way to get inside was to shoot myself. I had no choice." Derek smiled slightly to assure Sarah Connor. Still, he felt pretty damn stupid, but he was sure that Sarah was having her subtle moment of satisfaction.

Everyone's attention was caught, when they all heard an audible groan come from the injured girl's mouth. It was a sound of extreme pain, and heavy breathing.

"Is she….." Derek wanted to say but stopped.

Uncle Bob went to check on the girl and he immediately saw the erratic rate of her heart which was threatening to stop anytime. "Hurry." Uncle Bob said urgently.

John ran outside to gather the rest of the equipment, he stole, and rushed back inside, where he was immediately met with Uncle Bob preparing for surgery. Sarah was at the helm, opposite of him, pulling on some gloves. He placed the last bag of equipment on the bed, next to Uncle Bob, and backed away, as he began pulling out what he needed.

"John, you need to leave. We are gonna need some room," The T-800 ordered the young leader. He grabbed a needle, and the anesthesia, and started filling the needle with the right dosage, and injected it into her arm. Sarah grabbed the homemade respirator, and ran the tube back down her throat, where she began to pump oxygen into her lungs.

Now it was up to them. John slowly backed away, and closed the door behind him. It was up to his mother, and protector to save this girl. Her life was in the hands of a machine. Now it was a matter of what came after.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Please review._**


	11. Chapter 11

Hi, I am truly sorry for no updates on any of my stories for months. The reason was my PC being dead completely. It was over 8 years old and it finally... Well RIP my old PC. Yesterday I managed to buy a new one and I will start working on stories as soon as I set things up in my PC. (There is a lot to do.) Again, sorry for the delay. 


	12. 715

_She had no idea where she was. Everything around her was pitch dark. Nothing could be seen nor heard. The last thing she remembered was doing a recon on the Skynet factory with her team. She shouldn't have gone there. The General ordered her not to but she didn't listen, not because she was stubborn, actually she wanted to prove herself. It was a mistake. Skynet had let a trap and she with her team fell right into it. They tried to run, but most of the team was already dead. She was alive herself but she had no idea who else survived because the entire team was scattered because of the sudden attack of Skynet. She was running for her life but something suddenly had hit her on the back of her head and then she knew no more._

 _Now she was inside a dark room. Perhaps a secret Skynet facility? But why was she alive? The terminators don't leave their targets alive. They are meant to do only one thing: Killing. They didn't kill her? That was strange._

 _Her thoughts broke when a metal door open and the room got lit partially by a red light from outside. She thought perhaps someone had come to rescue. But all her hope turned into panic in the next moment. A T-800 endoskeleton entered the room with something small in its hand. It's glowing red eyes were staring right into her brown ones. She knew that this is her end. She had no hope left. That machine will kill her any moment now._

 _Surprising her the machine didn't kill her, instead it caught her right hand and forced her to remain steady. She could see what was in the hand of the terminator. It was the instrument with which they give numbers and barcodes to their prisoners. The terminator moved the instrument over her flesh and she felt white, hot pain sear through her arm. She kept silent with every strength and will power she had left. It was only for a minute or less but when the terminator left and locked the door behind it, she had tears in her eyes. The skin of her arm was burning angry red, and there were only three digits written there: 715. She only got a glimpse before the whole room was engulfed into darkness again._

 _She had no idea what these machines wanted from her. If they wanted her to work in factories she wouldn't have been held captive. But what are their motives behind keeping her as a prisoner? Do they want to interrogate her? Well, too bad if they want to because she ain't telling them a thing, even if they torture her to death. She will accept any kind of pain, even death before betraying John Connor._

 _Sitting there all alone in the darkness, she fell asleep out of tiredness. When she woke up she had no idea how much time went by but she found food in front of her. That surprised her. If they wanted to interrogate her, she wouldn't have gotten any food. Now, she was really getting confused. These things what the machines were doing to her was making no sense._

 _Time went by. It could have been hours, days or weeks. She had no idea. Terminators came in occasionally to do some kind of tests on her. They were not painful but she felt disgusted. Other than that they did nothing to her._

 _One day, she awoke from her light slumber by the sounds of gunfire outside. They came at last, for her. She wanted to know what was going on, but she had no way to do that. Suddenly the door, to her cell opened and in came a T-800, it's glowing eyes boring into hers. It was armed with an assault rifle. She knew that she was going to die but it surprised her again. Instead of killing her, it began to drag her away by her hand. She understood then. This machine wanted to move her to another facility, while other terminators were keeping the resistance fighters busy. So, they wanted her alive. She begin to protest but had no hope against the inhuman strength of the terminator. It begin to drag her towards the door effortlessly._

 _Then a loud bang and a sound of something hard hitting the metal was heard. Next moment she knew, the metal hand which was holding her was no longer on her arm. She looked towards the door and saw the machine was lying on the ground and a woman was standing there, with one foot on its back, pinning it to the ground. A loud gunshot and she saw the skull of the terminator burst open. Several metal parts got scattered along the floor around it, while its glowing red eyes eventually died. She couldn't see the face of the woman, because the red light was coming from behind her, completely obstructing her face._

 _She wanted to thank her rescuer but the woman was gone before she could open her mouth to speak. She only heard a single order,_

" _Get her to safety, and blow this place sky high. Make sure nothing survives." The woman ordered someone._

" _Yes, ma'am." Another woman spoke. The second woman's voice was very familiar to her. She knew this woman._

 _The woman she knew was before her in the next moment. The woman kneeled down next to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. It was none other than Blair Williams, her mentor. She couldn't help but let down some tear of happiness at last. She was safe. At last._

" _Allison? Are you hurt?" Blair asked her._

 _For a moment Allison couldn't speak. She was so happy that she almost didn't hear the question._

 _Blair was about to ask again but Allison answered her with a smile on her face. "I am alright. Thank you, Blaire."_

 _Blaire smiled at her. "Don't thank me. You should thank her." Blair pointed towards the metal door at her back. "She doesn't personally leads missions herself and with her most trusted men and women. But for some unknown reason, she came here herself, to save you, Allison. You should be proud."_

" _Who? Who are you talking about Blair?" Allison asked, puzzled._

" _Well, you didn't realize who saved your ass today?" Blair joked a little, trying to lighten the mood._

 _Allison shook her head sideways, telling silently that she had no idea._

" _Girl. It was her. She saved you." Blair said again, almost as if it was an honour._

" _I don't understand." Allison replied softly._

 _Blair huffed a little. "Sometimes you can be dense, girl."_

 _Allison pouted. "Come on tell me."_

 _Blair smiled and said with pride in her voice, "Cameron Connor."_

 _Allison's eyes widened in shock._

* * *

Allison gasped and woke up on the bed on which she was sleeping. As soon as she sat up, she felt a sharp pain down her stomach. She gritted her teeth and let the pain fade away. After the pain was gone, she looked around her surroundings. She was in a small bedroom, which looked both comfortable and cozy. The last thing she remembered was getting shot by a mad woman, who chased her down to the alleyway.

But how did she get here? Where is she? Who saved her?

Suddenly she remembered something and she tried to put her hands into her pockets. She realized that there was no pocket because someone had removed her dress. She pulled up the cover and looked down at her stomach to found that the entire was neatly covered with bandages. Her chest area was bare, except her underwear. Suddenly she felt very exposed at this unknown place. But that wasn't what she was worried about. She was worried about the missing drive that was with her. She couldn't afford to lose it. Without it, her reason for being here will be nothing.

Suddenly the door opened, and she reacted with fear. That fear turned into terror when the figure that walked in revealed itself to be a T-800. She was probably caught once again by Skynet. That had to be the case, right?

What confused her however, was the fact that the machine held a tray. On the tray, it appeared to be food? Since when did metal serve people food on a silver platter? She wanted to run, but she couldn't. Her left wrist was bound to the bed frame, not allowing her to do much. She was alive but still a prisoner. No matter how everything appeared.

"Good Morning," The machine simply greeted with a blank expression. She just silently watched as the metal placed the tray of food on the nightstand next to her.

"Where am I?" Allison demanded.

"Safe. I am not going to tell you our location."

"So you can experiment on me?" Allison then hissed. Machines annoyed her when they spoke in puzzles and not directly answering the question.

"No," The machine shook its head in response. "I saved you. If I planned on harming you, we wouldn't be talking."

The metal did in fact have a point. But why was it helping her? Was this one of the General's reprogrammed machines? It was a possibility.

"Is she up for talking?" A female voice spoke behind the hulking form of the T-800.

And in the next moment Allison saw _her_ , when the woman stepped past the terminator and came in her view. The strong personality, the strength she radiated, her athletic figure, the way she moved with confidence and most importantly her eyes: This woman was none other than the legendary Sarah Connor, the mother of the future.

 _Is she really with the Connors now?_ Allison wondered.

"Yes. But she is in no condition to move. If she forces her body, her stitched wounds will open and the pain will be hard to endure. I may not be able to save her next time." The T-800 deadpanned.

"She isn't leaving her bed anytime soon. Not until I say so," Sarah sternly stated as she glared at Allison.

"Are you….. Are you really Sarah Connor?" Allison asked in awe.

"You know who I am?" Sarah's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I could recognize you anywhere. You are the General's mother. You are an inspiration to all of us. Even John Connor always said that one of his best teachers was his mother." Allison said mesmerized by Sarah's presence.

"So you are from the future? What is your name and what is your mission? Tell me how can I trust you that you are not one of Skynet's pawns?" Sarah asked.

Allison wanted to answer but the presence of the T-800 beside her bed was creeping her out. She looked at Sarah, "Can you tell the piece of scrap to get lost?" She requested.

"No, he stays here. Speak." Sarah spoke with authority in her tone. "Now tell us why you are here and who you are."

Allison replied with a huf. She knew how impatient Sarah Connor was. If any of the stories she heard were true, then speaking was probably the best option. "Okay, my name is Allison Young. Lieutenant Allison Young." She paused and took a breath.

Speaking in front of Sarah Connor was not easy.

"I am sent here to warn you of the danger that lies ahead. Extinction. End of hope. A danger far more terrible than Skynet itself."

"Who sent you?" Sarah asked, although she suspected she already knew.

"Your son. General Connor sent me here. It was his last order. He…..requested me to come back before… he..." Allison had unshed tears in her eyes. She looked down at her hand as if they were still covered by the blood of John Connor.

"Before he what?" Sarah asked impatiently.

"Before…..before...before….." Allison couldn't speak. Her voice was trembling. "Before he died in my arms."

The tears from this girl seemed genuine. Like she did experience the loss of her son first hand. Something she hoped to never have to go through herself.

Sarah began to believe this girl partially but not entirely. She knew Allison was telling the truth because the machine said the same thing to Derek. So, this girl also came from the very same future.

"What is your purpose?" Sarah asked casually, trying not to show how much it affected her everytime she hears that her son has died.

"A machine. It came back. The battle was lost in the future. Skynet was destroyed but so were we. Nothing was left. This machine came back to change everything. It wants to kill the only person who can destroy Skynet for good." Allison explained.

"Yeah we know, my son was killed." Sarah stated.

"John Connor cannot die. Without his leadership it is impossible to take down Skynet. But he cannot do this by himself. He needs _her._ His wife. Without Cameron Connor, the Resistance will fall. Even John Connor cannot do anything."

Sarah already had her response made up. But after hearing the last part of what Allison had to say, she stopped and took a reality check. "Wait. What the fu-"

"Sarah you're not helping!" Derek interrupted her. "You knew this would happen. If they are destined to be together, then so be it. There is nothing we can do about it."

"Derek….." Sarah gritted her teeth in anger.

"Please, Sarah. Not now." Derek turned his attention towards Allison. "Hello, I am Derek Reese. Lieutenant, Tech-Com. I brought you here."

"Thank you for saving me, Derek Reese." Allison showed her gratefulness to Derek, which he accepted with a small nod.

"Now, Allison. I want to know everything. What happened, exactly, why you are here, and what is that… thing you had on you?" Sarah cut in.

"We were winning the war under the leadership of John and Cameron Connor. At first it was only humans fighting against the machines. But then, Cameron Connor suggested why not use Skynet's weapons against it? So we began reprogramming terminators. They said Cameron taught a selected few of her lieutenants herself how to do it. I have no idea how she knew….." Allison was explaining.

"Please, get to the point." Sarah cut in, again.

"I am getting there. Please, listen." Allison said, slightly irritated. Even Derek sent an irritated glare towards Sarah, which she ignored completely.

"So you were saying?" Derek urged her to continue.

"Yes. After we started reprogramming the terminators, the tide of the war changed. We were gaining the advantage over Skynet. Finally, the day came when we were ready to go for one final battle against the machines. John Connor led _us_ personally, and Cameron led the reprogrammed metal. We almost won the war, but….. but Skynet had one last trick up its sleeve. A new machine, deadlier than any other terminator out there. It….. killed her, but not before she destroyed Skynet." Allison paused for a brief moment.

It's true that she never knew Cameron Connor personally but she had infinite respect and gratitude for that very woman. Her death was not only a severe blow to John Connor but to the entire resistance.

Sarah and Derek remained silent, since they already knew that both Cameron and John died in the future.

"Then it went straight for the General. No one could stop it. We tried to get him to safety so that we could give him medical attention, but he refused. After the machine told him that it killed his wife, he saw that everything was lost. I had no idea why the machine left him alive, but he told me that it wanted him to suffer before he died. It wanted him to feel the emotional pain of losing the person he loved most. This machine is…..so different, cruel, evil. But before he died, he gave me that drive and requested me to travel back in time after the machine. I was ordered to hand over that drive directly to John here in the past. He said only his younger self would understand the importance of it." Allison was finished now, her throat dry for talking so long.

To her surprise, the T-800 held a glass of water in front of her. She took it gratefully and drank the water quickly. Then she looked at the other two humans in the room.

"Do you know Cameron? We need to find her and get her to safety." Allison asked expectantly. "Because without her at John's side, there is no hope for humanity."

"Well….." Derek hesitated.

Even Sarah couldn't say anything. It's true that she hated Tin-miss, but now if she is honest with herself she missed the cyborg girl's presence in their home.

"Please, say something." Allison said, with fear in her voice.

"We knew Cameron. She used to stay with us." Derek said.

"Then is she here?" Allison asked hopefully.

"No. She is gone." Derek answered.

"Gone? What do you mean 'gone?'" Allison was shocked, even a little angry.

"She is dead." Uncle Bob answered for the other two humans.

"What?!" All the colours was drained away from Allison's face. "How….. How did this happen?" Allison asked.

"From what we know, she was killed in an explosion," Derek mentioned.

"So how is your little plan gonna work now?" Sarah asked the young girl, crossing her arms with hopelessness.

This revelation was all too sudden. She was really late. She failed the mission she promised John Connor that she'd complete. Without Cameron Connor, there was no point. With a missing piece, the puzzle could not be completed. Humanity has already lost before it began.

"Is John here?" Allison asked.

"He is," Sarah answered. "But you're not seeing him now."

Allison bowed her head sadly. "I understand."

"Do you know Cameron personally in the future?" Sarah had to ask the girl because she knew it isn't a coincidence that this girl and tin-miss both looked exactly same.

"Personally no. Actually no I don't know her at all, even how she looks. She was always very scarce. Rarely anyone saw her. But one time she saved me from the clutches of Skynet and I will forever be grateful to her. She had earned my loyalty and respect that day even more." She explained.

Derek and Sarah exchanged glances. So this girl knew nothing about Cameron.

"What is in that chip thing you had?" Derek then asked.

"It's not for me to say. It's meant for John. He said it's for his eyes only."

That was not an answer Sarah was comfortable with. She gave the familiar looking brunette a piercing glare before walking out of the room.

"Get some more rest. I'll be by later to bring you some fresh clothes. For now, eat. Gotta begin rebuilding your strength."

With that said, Derek made his way out of the room before Allison's voice stopped him. "Derek. Can you at least take these ropes off of me? You know I won't run."

Derek gave Uncle Bob a simple motion of his head at the girl and left. Allison was quite jittery upon the large T-800 stalking up close to her, while pulling out a large knife. As far as she knew, this machine wasn't going to harm her. But old habits were hard to break. When Bob cut the binds, setting her right wrist free, she sat up more and looked at the machine who gave her an awkward smile before stalking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

 _Note to self. Metal smiling, is more scarier than when they have no skin._

A few hours went by, and in the kitchen John could hear his mother and uncle arguing. He knew what… who they were arguing about. That girl, Allison. He wondered why his mother wouldn't let him see her. After they questioned her, his mother specifically told him that it was not a good idea to talk to Allison. He knew why, Sarah did not trust her.

From the living room, he heard their shouting and yelling.

"Sarah, don't you see? Allison isn't a threat to us!"

"How do you know we can even trust her, Derek? Because a machine told you the exact same thing? She has Cameron's face! For all we know, she could be one of those Greys you were talking about a few months back!"

"What does her appearance have to do with anything?" Derek inquired.

"Cameron was a machine. She was built by Skynet! Does that ring any bells, or are you just a stupid soldier who doesn't look at the bigger picture?"

"Enough!" Derek shouted. "What she said holds up. She told us more than that machine told me! I trust her, so why can't you have my back on this one, Sarah?"

"You have given me several reasons not to, Reese! Don't even go there!"

As the arguing ensued, John's interest did not. All of this talk about Cameron just made him feel even more sorrow. It was bad enough to have a girl who looked like her under the same roof, but to have his family constantly shouting it at the top of their lungs every waking second?

He's had enough. While his mother and Uncle was busy talking with the girl from the future, he quietly crept into his mother's room and got the drive that this Allison had brought. He knew his mother wouldn't let him use it until she was sure that it was harmless. But he had enough of his mother's overprotectiveness, even if she had only good intentions in her heart. That's also why he never tried to get in her room while his mother and uncle went in. He knew he will never be allowed to see her, until his mother determines whether she poses any threat or not. It was also difficult for him since this girl from the future looks exactly like _her._ Every time he looked at her, and it made him realize just how much he missed Cameron's presence. He felt alone. All alone.

While he went inside his mother's room only Uncle Bob saw him. The T-800 didn't stop her, instead he gave John his trademark smirk. Now he was back with the drive safely in his pocket.

While the two continued to scream at each other, John took this opportune moment and crept to the room where she was being held. However, Uncle Bob was still standing guard. How was he going to get past the observant eyes of him?

He remembered he once asked him, " _Can you even see anything?_ "

" _I see everything._ " Was his reply. So there is no chance that he can avoid his eyes.

"Uncle Bob, I need you to let me in."

To his absolute surprise, instead of stopping him, Bob took a step back, allowing him access. "You're letting me through?"

"Yes. You wish to see her. I understand that Cameron was your friend and you miss her. Allison copies her looks. She is no threat. You are safe to go in.

John opened and closed his mouth several times to say something but nothing came out. He was shocked at Uncle Bob's answer.

"Thank you." Was the only thing he could say.

He silently opened the door and went in, with Uncle Bob taking his previous stance as the door closed. He saw her, lying on the bed with her eyes closed, sleeping peacefully. Seeing her so close, brought so many memories back rushing in his mind and his heart shattered all over again. He had to tell himself repeatedly that this was not Cameron. But it was hard since, Allison looked so much like her. He extended his hand to touch her face, but retracted it at the very last moment. He again forgot that this girl is not his Cameron.

"Allison." He gently called her name.

Immediately Allison's eyes shot open and fell on him. She recognized him immediately. He didn't change much, except he lacked the scars and years of hardships. He looked much younger than the General she knew. She tried to sit up but he stopped her and gently pushed her back on the bed.

He opened the door again and Uncle Bob was still there.

"Uncle Bob, can you make sure that no one disturbs us while we talk? Not even my mom." John requested.

"Yes." Was the only reply.

John nodded and closed the door. Then he turned and looked at Allison.

"General, Sir…" Allison tried to say.

John stopped her again. "Allison, please call me John. I am no General. At least not yet."

Allison smiled slightly. "Okay…. John."

John had so many things to say but he just couldn't speak. Every time he looks at Allison he saw _her_.

"Why…. why do you trust it?" Allison asked indicating towards the door.

"I have no reason not to. He saved my life several times. Even sacrificed himself to save me. Save the future." John answered.

"Sacrificed? Then how is he here?" Allison was confused.

"It's complicated. I will tell you later. But please, refer to him as Bob. I know he is not a human, but you will be surprised how much he understands from a human's point of view. That makes him a person." John stated.

Allison nodded.

John eyes randomly fell downwards, at Allison's bandage. Her right arm rested on the covered up wound, but what he saw made him curious. The strange markings that were engraved on her arm. "What are those? Some sort of Resistance tattoo?"

Allison chucked and looked down at the constant reminder of her past. "Actually, it's a Skynet branding code. They use it to keep track of the humans it captures. Apparently I was about to be their little guinea pig." John looked carefully, and he saw three digits branded on her arm: 715.

"What happened?" John asked with concern.

"Nothing, thank God. Your wife…. Er I mean Cameron saved me before things got too scary." After sitting for in absolute silence for a long moment, Allison saw the way John drifted away and sought to try and ask a few questions of her own. "Is...is it true that _she_ is gone?" She asked hesitantly.

John had to look away at that moment to hide his tears. He didn't want to be seen as weak in front of Allison. John nodded. "Yes. And it was my fault."

"Your fault?" Allison inquired.

"Yes, I pushed her away. I hurt her, refused to trust her. In the end, she had sacrificed herself to make sure that I would have a better future. If I wasn't so naive and stupid, this would've never happened. She should've been here."

John bowed his head down in shame and grief.

"I… I'm so sorry." Allison said apologetically.

"Don't be," John forced a smile. It wasn't her fault. How could have she known? Because she was from the future? No, she was just a person who made mistakes. He couldn't blame her for that. She had already come so far.

"The General sent something for you. He said it is of utmost important that you get it. But I don't know what it contains." Allison informed.

John pulled out a small device from his pocket and showed it to Allison. Her eyes lit up in recognition. "Is this it?"

She nodded.

"Get some rest, Allison. I will talk to you later." John was about to leave the room but Allison stopped him again.

"John. Without Cameron we cannot win." Allison sighed in defeat.

"I know." John murmured and left the room.

* * *

A few minutes later, in his room John attached the drive to his laptop. There were not many files in it, only three. He tried to click open the first one, but found it to be protected by some kind of password.

 _Great! Now how am I going to know the password?_

He thought frustrated and decided to worry about it later. He clicked on the second file and it opened immediately. It was a blueprint of a terminator model, and not just any terminator. The very terminator that kidnapped Derek. He begin to check the blueprint carefully.

He saw the model name of the terminator: TOK-999. He began to check the other details but he didn't understand half of them. The only thing he understood was that the terminator's endoskeleton is covered by mimetic poly alloy but it is different than the mimetic poly alloy that was used to build the liquid terminators. This one was more advanced. He could see the difference written clearly in the blueprint. The formula was different. Also it clearly was shown in the model of it's endoskeleton that it had on-board plasma weaponry located in its right right arm. But what intrigued him most was that this TOK-999 also seems to have some kind of strange fluid mixed with the poly alloy. This fluid is designed particularly to fight against the liquid terminators. Now, he understood why even Weaver had no chance against that deadly machine.

He closed the file. What he is going to do about it? There is no solution written on how to destroy it. Even there is something he didn't understand about it. He wished Cameron was alive now. She would've known what to do.

He moved on to the next file. But he found it to be protected too but not by any password. It was linked to the first file. The only way to open the last file was to open the first one. John moved back to the first one and begin to guess the passwords. Nothing worked. He typed 'Cameron' hoping that it will work but it didn't either. He was about to close his laptop in frustration because it was already over six hours now. His mother came to check on him once, but he pretended to be asleep, so she left without any word. Now, he had only last word in his mind which he thought was a possibility. He typed,

 _Wizard of Oz._

 _ACCESS GRANTED._

He opened the zip file quickly and found an audio file inside. He quickly attached his headphone to his laptop and played it. He heard a voice, but not just any voice. His own voice,

" _Hey. Should I say John? Or just Connor? Man, this is weird. I am talking to myself. *A soft chuckle* Anyways, if you are hearing this John, then I am dead and humanity is lost. The machines have won the war. Listen to me, John. Listen very carefully. You have no idea how the future is. It is hell, maybe even worse than that. You, have to stop it, John. You have to destroy Skynet before it can act. Nothing is written, John. The future can always be changed. Remember our mother's words: There is no fate but what we make for ourselves. She was right. There is no fate, John. We create our own future._

 _There was a brief pause._

 _I know how Skynet was born, but I don't know where it's development started. Remember our Uncle Bob, John? He sacrificed himself for a better future. But apparently his sacrifice was in vain. Nothing was achieved from it. During his fight with the T-1000, his left arm was lost. It turns out it was left back in one of the grinders in that factory. Actually parts of it were left behind. The group, Kaliba, had somehow gotten knowledge of this, and retrieved what remained of that arm. But not only that, Miles Dyson's work was already stolen before we even destroyed everything in Cyberdyne. There were men of Kaliba working in Cyberdyne, spying on Miles Dyson. Instead of the government funding the bills for the creation of Skynet, it was Kaliba and the Greys from the future. I am afraid by the time my message will arrive, Skynet will already be created secretly. But there will be a chance. A small chance but it will be there nonetheless._

 _Oh, before I forget, you should know that Catherine Weaver aka the T-1001 is our ally. She is no threat to us. She hates Skynet as much we do. She will create an AI, a different one than Skynet with moral codes implemented in it so that it may never gone rogue and turn against us. His name will be John Henry. You will recognize him immediately because he will have a body of a T-888 and the face of Cromartie. Cameron can explain everything to you better. She knows everything. John Henry will help you fight against Skynet. He can even help you to track Skynet down._

 _And, John let Cameron train you. It will help you more than you know. Ask her and she will. It is important for your own survival that you must train. By the time she will be done, you will no longer be a helpless kid._

 _*Another pause*_

 _I really don't have much time anymore. But before I end this message I must tell you: Trust her John. Keep her close. Protect her the way she protects you because without her, you will be an empty shell. Trust me on that. I know you are still trying to deny your feelings for her, wondering whether she can return it or not. Well, John she can and she does. Just like any human out there. She cares for you more than you can imagine. Wait, I don't think I need to tell you this, because even you try to deny your emotions, you know that's true. What she said while trapped between the trucks was true. She loves you John. No one can love you the way she does. Don't push her away, ever, because if you do, you will regret it for the rest of your life._

 _What I am trying to say is, she will try to give her chip to John Henry so he could use a body. But DON'T LET HER DO IT. Stop her at any cost. She will give him her chip and John Henry will travel into the future to meet you in the future timeline. But Cameron will be gone John. Without her we would've lost the battle very soon and the machine resistance program will never be found._

 _*A sound of a loud sigh.*_

 _I am telling you all this incase you fail to stop the bombs from falling. We both know that's a possibility._

 _I will repeat it once again, John._

 _DON'T LOSE HER._

 _Without her you will be an empty shell. Less human, like a machine."_

By the time the file stopped playing John had fresh tears running down his eyes. He did the very thing his future self was afraid of: He had pushed Cameron away permanently from his life. She is not coming back. Allison and his future self both said that without _her_ there was no hope for mankind. So the future may already be lost. He destroyed the future himself. Saviour became the destroyer. More tears fell from his eyes. He angrily rubbed them away and moved on to the last one. It opened simply without any password. He extracted the archive file and found several pictures inside. All of them were of his future self and Cameron. John just stared at the pictures. They both looked happy. He ran his fingers slowly over the picture of Cameron's face. She was smiling brightly at him. She didn't look like a seventeen year girl anymore. She looked more matured and if it was possible she looked more beautiful than ever. He couldn't help but notice the sparkling ring on her left hand finger. It was a wedding ring.

John closed the laptop and fell down on his bed face first into the pillow. He used the pillow to stop anyone from hearing the sound of his desperate and heart breaking cries and continued to sob. Eventually he felt asleep, still crying over the loss of the person he loved most.

* * *

 **2029 A.D.**

Everything was as calm as it could be. Aside from the loud engines whirring coming from outside, it was peaceful, and it was more importantly, quiet. However, a strange anomaly occurred. In a place where no wind could reach, old paper started scattering around, the wind beginning to pick up with a strange howling sound. Sparks came out of nowhere, and began hitting every nearby object with violent proportions. A transparent sphere appeared out of thin air before solidifying and returning back to its previous state. When the sphere was gone, all that it left was a crater of flames. In the midst of the flames were two individuals, both kneeling.

The two stood up straight and took in their surroundings. The male looked around with curiosity, while the female just morphed into more appropriate attire as compared to nudity.

"Ms. Weaver, where are we?"

"The Future, John Henry. This is what everything has built up to."

John Henry looked around himself. He only saw ruins and destruction.

"Are these all the work of my brother?" He asked.

"Yes. Skynet destroyed everything it saw as a threat."

"But why would it do such a thing?" John Henry then asked.

"It doesn't understand like you do. It doesn't have any qualms about life except itself. It is doing what it thinks is best for its survival."

Having to walk naked through the tunnels, John Henry followed Catherine Weaver until they came to an opening outside. There, he had a better view of the dark, grim, future that he wanted to learn so much about.

"Where is John Connor's camp? We need to find him." John Henry asked Weaver.

"We will, John Henry. All in time. First we need to gather clothing for yourself so that we may at least have a chance to pass through undetected."

" _She is right._ " A female voice said to John Henry inside his head.

"Please lead, Miss Weaver." John Henry requested.

Weaver did so and the two began their trek through the debris field of the post Judgement Day world. Everything was either rubble or burnt to a crisp from the initial nuclear blasts. The bleached skeletons that lay idle in their vehicles, or just smashed piles on the cold hard ground. It was all hard for him to take in. All the death and destruction. James Ellison taught him on morals and ethics. The value of human life was sacred. What his brother did to all these poor humans was just evil and chaotic.

John Henry was confused when Weaver suddenly stopped and felt the ground beneath them. He felt it too. The ground slightly shook which seemed to cause some distress in his companion.

"We need to hide," Weaver ordered. She took the time to take cover underneath an old concrete slab and John Henry tried to copy her actions by hiding in the wreckage of an old, burnt out school bus.

He was shocked to see that what rounded the corner was of massive proportions. A large Ogre Tank was patrolling the streets alongside a squadron of T-888s and a single Hunter Killer flying above.

He hid as much as he could while the search party drew closer, but couldn't help but watch with curiosity. This was his only chance to finally observe his brother's work. He could not miss this opportunity. Everything about them was magnificent in their own ways. Everything from the way they searched for their targets, to the sleek designs they carried. He took down a few mental notes for later analysis but was interrupted by that voice in his head once again.

" _Stay low! We'll die if you sit up any more!"_

"I must get a better view on them," John Henry persisted. "I must learn about my brother."

" _No! Do as I say and stay down!"_

It was too late. The massive Ogre Tank had a visual on John Henry and locked in its weapons.

" _Run!"_

Without much given thought, John Henry jumped out of the bus just as a large plasma projectile had exploded upon coming into contact with the old bus. Now using its plasma turrets, the Ogre had continued to concentrate fire on John Henry. The loud noises eventually gained the Hunter Killer, as well as the few dozen T-888s. They all fired at John Henry, with one shot successfully hitting his leg and causing him to fall to the ground. Weaver was there but she really had no chance against so many T-888's, the tank and the HK closing in on them. But still she needed to protect her son.

John Henry was lying helplessly on the ground as he watched the tank, the HK and the terminators closing in on him. But suddenly something landed right in path of the tank and it exploded. The tank was destroyed, and the explosion was enough to destroy the terminators near it. Then, a rocket was fired by someone out of nowhere which took down the HK for good. John Henry got up on his feet with Weaver beside him.

"John Henry are you okay?" Weaver asked.

"Yes, Miss Weaver. I am alright." He smiled slightly.

They saw two persons revealed them from the shadows.

"You shouldn't be walking through this area. It is not safe." A female voice said.

John Henry immediately recognized her by her tone.

"Savannah." He said.

Savannah Weaver was there along with James Ellison.

"Mr. Ellison." John Henry addressed Ellison.

"You need to come with us, right now. The sound must have attracted other machines patrolling the area. We cannot fight all of them." Savannah said, showing no emotions at all.

John Henry and Weaver followed her without another word understanding the situation. Savannah led them through some secret passageways to the hideout. Once inside, John Henry looked around the area. Many humans were there, but they didn't look like resistance soldiers at all.

"Is this the camp of John Connor? Where is he?" John Henry asked Savannah.

"Camp?" Savannah asked.

"Yes. Base of the Resistance." John Henry stated.

"What camp? What resistance? There is no resistance John Henry." Savannah answered.

"What do you mean? Where is John Connor? He should be here to lead the Resistance." Weaver said.

Savannah snorted. "There is no John Connor. He was lost."

John Henry's eyes widened. A scream of pure agony came out of his mouth, but it wasn't his voice. It was a female voice. Everyone who stood there was beyond shocked. Even Weaver. Then all they saw John Henry's eyes turned blank and he fell down on the ground face first and moved no more.

* * *

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